Glass Hearts
by TheSoundofMusic
Summary: We've all had our dreams shattered, if not our lives. Some of us try to pretend it never happened by being happy; others toughen up and lock others out as a defense mechanism. But is it really that easy to keep away some things? And is healing really as difficult as we think it is?
1. Chapter 1

_Prologue_

_How many miles would you walk just to see me?_

It's a simple enough question, I suppose.

_How long would you wait just to be with me?_

Only time will, tell, right?

_Would you care if I left?_

Of course I would care, idiot. I would care too much, if you ask me.

_Do you even see me?_

There's no one else worth seeing.

* * *

_~Vaughn~_

"I hate this," I mutter to myself as I wait in line to get on the boat. It's always crowded here; people shove and push, and I glare and grab my hat, muttering angrily under my breath.

Sighing, I check the time and the name of the island I'm supposed to be heading to. Just the name has me shudder inwardly, although on the outside I look as bored as ever.

Sunshine Islands? Blech.

Just the thought of how happy everyone must be there has me cringing, and I haven't even been there yet. I'm about to get on the boat when I'm bumped by a small person, who just rushes past me without even bothering to look back.

It irritates me, but of course I won't do anything about it. I just don't care enough to go make a big deal out of something as trivial as a mere bump anyways, although when I take a closer look at the person I'm surprised with what I see.

A small, delicate looking girl with long, shaggy brown hair and piercing blue eyes stands at the front of the boat, watching she sea with a distant look in her eyes. As if defiant to the weather, she wears brightly colored clothing; an orange vest over a yellow, sleeveless shirt and a pair of shorts that are complemented by red boots. The whole outfit is topped off with a red bandanna tied around her head; does this kid think she's some kind of pirate? How did someone that tiny even manage to bump me anyways?

Right as I think that, she looks over at me and I freeze for a second as if she heard my thoughts. Just as soon as I'm about to dismiss the idea, the little brat smirks at me before turning back to stare distantly at the water.

What the hell.

I'm actually kind of angry now but I won't let my face betray it. Calmly, I turn around to face the back of the boat as we take off, and I forget all about her as we set out to sea.

xxxXXXxxxXXXxxxXXXxxxXXX

It's not long before we're there. As soon as the boat docks, she's off, running towards the far side of the island while I walk off slowly, trying to figure out where I have to go next.

Luckily, I was given directions, and I walk throughout the town when I look up and see a sign. "Animal shop?" I mumble, before pushing the door open and walking inside.

I'm greeted by a homely looking woman with short blonde hair.

"Hello dear, I'm Mirabelle," she all but clucks at me, and it takes most of my willpower to not roll my eyes at the way she called me 'dear'.

"Vaughn," I say by way of introduction, sticking my hand out and hoping she won't hold onto it for too long. Luckily, she shakes it briskly then yells up the stairs, "JULIA! Come down, the animal trader is here!"

I find myself looking up the stairs at another girl, this one looking much older than the one who bumped me on the boat. She too, wears shorts and a shirt with a tank top underneath, but her color scheme appears to be blue, and her blonde hair (very much like her mom's, I notice) falls in wisps around her face, most of it tied back into a ponytail.

Somehow, I find it disturbing that the little blue-eyed girl from earlier is still somewhat on my mind, as I've just compared her to this new girl, but I shake the thought away as Mirabelle's daughter leans on the rail of the stairs and eyes me.

"Vaughn, right? Nice to meet you," she says, then straightens up and turns to her mom.

"Mom," she drawls, Mirabelle looks up at her daughter. "Yes dear?" the woman asks, and I slink into the corner, already preparing myself to ignore the two as best I can while I'm here on this island.

Neither one of them seem to care that I've quietly taken myself out of the scene as Julia says, "I'm gonna go see that new farm. I heard someone's come up here to fix it up and live on it." Mirabelle hesitates, but nods.

"Don't be rude now," she says, but Julia just grins at her mom before running down the stairs and out the door with a "thanks".

Mirabelle turns to me and I straighten up, hoping she'll tell me where to work and not try to start any conversations. I don't like talking; as much talking as I may do to myself, I hate it when I actually have to talk to other people.

It' s not like they ever really care, anyways.


	2. Chapter 2

_~Chelsea~_

"I bet that guy thinks he's so cool with his hat, and his boots, and that vest," I grumble under my breath, surveying the farm that lies before me. It's not too bad, and the thought that it's all mine has me smiling again.

What was with that guy anyways? First he stands in the way so that I can't move and get on the boat, then he gets all uppity on me just because I smile at him? He needs to check that attitude of his before someone gets mad at him for being like that.

Shaking my head to dispel thoughts of the stoic cowboy I saw on the boat, I look once more at the land and bend down to pick up a single weed.

"With the pulling of this weed, I shall start my great and glorious life here on the Sunshine Islands!" I declare, before pulling it up.

Or well, attempting to pull it up. It must be some kind of scientifically altered weed, because the thing is seriously stuck in the ground; there's no way I'm going to separate it from its roots with my bare hands. With a sigh, I turn to my bag which I've dropped on the ground and rummage through it until I find my old, slightly bent sickle.

After hacking the weed off like the monster it really is, I hold it up in my raw, red hand laughing slightly manically as it dangles like some kind of dead animal. "With THIS," shake it at the sky, "I'll start my new life."

My moment of triumph is shattered by a snicker.

Looking down, I see a busty girl standing not five feet away from me, doubled up in silent laughter. While I stare, she finally manages to say something.

"I can't believe the way you destroyed that thing!" she wheezes out, clutching at her sides. I'm about to frown and tell her just how difficult it really was when she stands up and comes over to me, wiping tears from her eyes.

"I'm Julia. My mom's name is Mirabelle, and together we run the animal shop on Verdure Island. I came over to meet the new farmer…which I'm guessing is you." She grins at me and sticks a hand out, not seeming to care that I'm drenched in sweat and have dirt everywhere.

I grin back, already able to tell she and I will be good friends.

"Chelsea, Chelsea Davis. Bet I'm nothing like you thought I would be, right?" I say ruefully, but Julia just keeps smiling as she takes her hand back.

"We shouldn't expect too much; otherwise we end up disappointed. Besides that, I'm glad you're not as gentle as you look; you and I are going to have a lot of fun."

xxxXXXxxxXXXxxxXXX

She's right of course, I think to myself as I lie in bed that night.

Life's an awful bore to be so mild-mannered all the time, or to be so quiet. It's better to speak your mind and give no one any power over you that they don't deserve; I learned that a long time ago.

When memories come flooding back into my head, I clench my teeth and turn over, trying to ignore them.

Something good is about to happen to me; something will finally go right for once in my messed up life. It's high time I take this opportunity.

No one's going to mess with me ever again.

* * *

**Author's note: Maybe I should put my disclaimers in the beginning XD Meh. Well, either way let it be known that I do not own any of the characters from the Harvest Moon games. Also, hallelujah for Google-without it I'd never have my pictures XD Big shout out also to ajayeclipsed, if she's reading this; it's thanks to you I've decided that attempting a different kind of harvest moon story wouldn't be such a terrible idea. **

**And now, about this story. This is my first attempt at a harvest moon story where I haven't fully completed the game yet; I'm in the process of it, so be patient if I don't update as frequently as I did with some of my other stories. Also, I'm trying to break off from being just a fluff author XD **

**If I tweak a few details, let it be, please! Overall, the whole gist will probably remain the same, but I think it's a lot more interesting when the story goes off the beaten path. **

**Well, that's about it for now. Review if you like-any criticisms are fine, so long as they are constructive and are not merely derogatory. We're all just here to do what we love, whether it be reading or writing fandoms. Don't be too harsh :) **


	3. Chapter 3

_~Vaughn~_

For a spring night, it's surprisingly cold. I've been here at Verdure for all of two days and already I know that this island's weather is seriously weird.

I mean, come on. Nights are cold yeah, but this bad in SPRING? I thought this was part of the SUNSHINE islands, not the freaky weather islands.

Either way though, it doesn't matter to me; I'm out of that suffocating building, and away from all those people on the island that keep trying to talk to me.

They just don't get it, do they? If I don't want to talk to you, then _I won't talk to you. _But some people just don't really seem to understand the whole concept of ignoring others, do they?

The town isn't as tiny as I originally thought, although it's still nothing compared to the city, or even compared to the town I came from.

It spans across two or three islands, each with a bridge. I'm sure there are more islands nearby, but right now is not the time to be wandering. I've got a boat to catch in an hour, so I only want to go to the next island and come back so I can finally leave.

When I cross the bridge, I find myself on a dilapidated farm. It's not a total wreck; but it'll need a lot of work if whoever's living in that tiny house wants it to work out.

For a second, I'm reminded of my own home, and I blink as memories flash back to me.

Nope.

This train of thought ends here; I've no time to be reminiscing about the past. It's gone, never to be repeated…and that's how things will stay.

Trying to get my mind off it all, I walk carefully around the edge of the field to observe the shoddy looking barn that stands nearby. Nice enough, I suppose, for someone who has no money. I've heard enough from Julia's talking to her mother that whoever lives here is dirt poor; must be nice to be so happy that one could hope that they'll make a successful farm out of this place.

Of course, I've only caught snippets of the conversations Julia has with her mother about the farmer; she always seems to be in the midst of talking about how interesting the farmer is. She's never once mentioned a name though, or even a gender in my presence.

Part of me wants to assume it's a guy; the way that Julia's talked about the farmer for about two whole days now is starting to drive me up the wall, and I haven't even heard the entire conversation. On the other hand, it might just be part of her personality, which will get annoying very quickly.

For a second I entertain the thought of going to meet the farmer myself, when I snort and remember how much I despise introductions, and how much I despise most people.

The boat's horn sounds, calling me back, back to where I belong.

Maybe this time, I might actually consider going home for a bit.


	4. Chapter 4

_~Chelsea~_

When the sun rises, so do I. It's not easy, getting up this early, but somehow I've managed to do it every morning, and I feel like if I keep at it soon enough I'll get used to it.

As I go outside, I look at my field and give another sigh. There are still plenty of weeds, and plenty of land for me to clear.

The coin sack in my pocket clinks, and I remember that I've only enough money to purchase a few seeds. For some reason, the idea that I won't have to clear as much land cheers me up, as depressing as it is that I can't even afford to buy more than three bags of seeds.

Don't even get me started on food.

With a sigh, I decide to head towards town and actually buy the seeds this time instead of spending my time wandering around aimlessly and getting lost, the way I did the first time.

If I got lost again, Julia would never let me live it down.

xxxXXXxxxXXXxxxXXX

"Heeeeey!" Julia calls to me as I walk past her shop. I smile and wave as she runs up to me, nearly knocking me over as she reaches me.

Instead of hugging, the two of us wrestle for a few seconds before a voice interrupts us.

"What have I told you two about roughhousing in the middle of the street? You'll take someone's eye out!" Taro, the old man who helps run the shipping business, huffs at us, and Julia breaks off meekly, looking ashamed while I resist the urge to roll my eyes.

Grumpily, Taro stomps off and I give Julia a look. "Hey now," I warn mockingly, "Don't tell me you actually LISTEN to that him? I mean, his head is huge, that CAN'T be normal."

Julia giggles lightly but then perks up as the rest of Taro's family comes out of their house and walks by. She watches them walk past us with small waves, and she waves back happily, seeming particularly pleased when the boy blushes at her wave.

I've known her for all of two weeks, and already I know nearly everything about her.

"What are you gonna do if you marry him and your kids get the big-head gene?" I whisper in her ear, causing her to shriek as she's surprised with how close I've managed to get without her noticing. I duck as she swings a fist at me.

"Maybe it's not hereditary!" she squeals, and at that I can't help but bust out laughing, which causes me to get knocked over as she pushes me, pouting at my attitude towards her crush on the geekiest boy on the island.

Wiping the tears from my eyes, I grab her hand and say, "Come on, let's go to Chen's. You can help me decide what seeds to buy."

She pouts, but agrees, and the two of us run off towards the shop.

xxxXXXxxxXXX

Once we're inside, she walks off to talk to Chen's boy, Charlie, while I observe the seeds that Chen has on display. After much deliberating I decide that I should get two bags of turnip seeds and one of potatoes.

I absolutely loathe turnips, but right now it's the best option for me to plant them and get money. Besides that, buying turnip seeds means I'll have more money to spend on other things, like real food and not the weird crap I've been making. I've burned quite a few of my dinners up to now.

To put it lightly, I'm not the world's greatest cook.

My purchases made, I turn to Julia and nod my head at her in a signal that we should get going, and we wave good-bye before taking off towards my farm. On the way there, she brings up the animal trader.

"He's so…angsty," she pouts, and I raise an eyebrow at this. We've talked about a lot of things, but for some reason she's just now bringing up the guy that's apparently been coming to work at Mirabelle's ever since I've shown up.

When she says something about angst, my mind immediately goes to the silver-haired cowboy and I want to punch myself in the face. How can I still be thinking about someone I met so long ago, not to mention someone who was obviously not interested in human contact?

Forget it, Chelsea, you've got more important things to focus on.

Either way, I find it weird that she's just now bringing him up, so I say, "Why are you telling me this, anyways?"

I'm nothing, if not blunt.

Julia shrugs as we get to my farm.

"I figured you should know about him since you'll probably want to buy some animals soon…like a cow or something. Hey, I know!" She says excitedly, while I squat down and start planting the seeds in the places I've already prepared.

"Mmm?" I say, only half listening as she starts to talk again. While she talks, I observe the seeds then get out my watering can and have at it. By the time she's finished with her words, I'm finished watering, and I turn to her and say, "Yeah?" even though I didn't hear a word she said.

Julia just smiles.

"Great, I'll see you tomorrow then!" she says, walking off with a wave. I don't want to appear rude and let her know I wasn't listening, so I wave back but wonder what she wants to show me.

Deciding it can't possibly be anything important, I shrug and head inside to have another attempt at making dinner.

* * *

**So I figure that this actually has some humor in it; very very cynical humor though, in most ways XD Ah well. There will be angst, and there will be romance, so I'll just leave it at that for now.**

**Chelsea, for all her attitude, is a lot more of a talkative character to me than Vaughn. Especially considering he's always trying to repress any emotions that come up. Chelsea embraces her emotions but deals with it by just being rough.**

**Well that's it for now. I'll update again when possible (UGH work AGAIN tomorrow). Review and keep on reading! :) **


	5. Chapter 5

_~Vaughn~_

As the island comes back into sight, I sigh and grip my hat tightly, wishing I was anywhere but here. I haven't even been on the island that much and I'm starting to really dislike it already.

It's not even the place I dislike; it's the constant amiable nature of all the people here. It's as if these people have never experienced hardships. If they have, they're doing a very good job of pretending it never happened.

And there's nothing I loathe more than people who put on masks for the sake of looking good.

People despise me for the way I am sometimes, but hey, at least I'm not pretending my life's fantastic when in reality it's terrible.

I'm real.

I guess that annoys people though.

xxxXXXxxxXXXxxx

The boat docks, and I get off and quickly head to Mirabelle's, where I only have to deal with one overly friend person; the owner herself. Luckily, Julia's not that bad about avoiding talking to me. She says what she has to, and then just goes about her own business. Sometimes I think it's half the reason I'm able to stay there-besides that, Mirabelle's happiness seems genuine enough, which is rare in itself.

I spend my morning working as hard as I can to stop myself from overthinking things. It happens, when you're as quiet as I am. I'd rather contemplate things than talk about them…although on occasion it gets me into trouble when I think too much and start to remember things I shouldn't.

Afternoon comes far sooner than I expected, and I sit down in the corner of the shop to observe as nearly the entire town stops in to chat with Mirabelle, each of them giving a half-hearted wave in my direction.

That's right, I think. Pretend like you care. Either way, I can see through you.

I'm getting ready to just doze off and ignore everyone the way I usually would when the door bangs open in a way it never has before. Julia gives a delighted squeal, and I peek out from under my hat, curious as to who it could be.

I freeze when I realize it's the girl I thought I'd never see again.

She stands in the doorway, staring defiantly at me as if daring me to make some sort of snide comment when I've never even talked to her before. While we have our little staring match, Julia runs up to her, nearly knocking her over.

I'm surprised when the two girls start brawling. It's not playful, nor is it a silly girl fight. The two are actually all out wrestling, and I suppress a smirk as I watch the girl with the bandanna triumphantly grab Julia in a headlock, securing her a win.

"Okay, okay, let go!" Julia says, laughing as she pushes away from the girl, who grins cheekily at her.

"What, can't handle me?" she says teasingly. Her voice is surprisingly feminine, compared to the way she acts so tough.

Julia just rolls her eyes and grabs her friend's hand, tugging her lightly to where I'm standing.

I know where this is going now.

Straightening up, I look down at the girl while Julia stands between us.

"Vaughn, meet Chelsea, the new farmer. Chelsea, meet Vaughn, the animal trader!" Julia stands back proudly, as if her introducing us is the highlight of her day. Knowing her, it probably is.

Chelsea sticks her hand out and mumbles, "Pleased to meet you," not looking pleased in the least. Her obviousness dislike of me is apparent, and I can tell by the way her hand is half-heartedly thrust at me she doesn't want to be here.

I give her my hand and shake it quickly before she pulls her hand away and I let my own hand return to my hat brim.

"Likewise," I say with a nod, trying to be polite. She cocks an eyebrow at this, and then smirks. Just then, Mirabelle calls Julia over to the desk for a second, and the farmer leans in and whispers, "You don't like me, do you?"

Well, yeah I don't, but I'm not about to tell her that. I don't like anyone, but by the goddess, I'm not going to go telling people that outright. There's a difference between being truthful and just being plain rude.

Chelsea doesn't seem to care however as she just laughs under her breath and says, "If you don't like me, I don't care. I'm not about to force you into a friendship that I'm sure you don't want."

With that, she walks over to Julia and grabs her arm.

"Come on, let's go explore," she says with a wild grin, and Julia smiles before waving at her mom and disappearing out the door with the farmer.

I sit in silence, not sure whether I should be interested with this turn of events. She's blunt, and she's definitely very upfront about things, both of which are characteristics I value. But on the other hand, she assumes far too much.

I never said I didn't want a friendship with her.

And if anything, at this point she's the only person I'm even remotely interested in on this island. She's got a look in her eyes that I've only seen once before…it's the same look I see when I wake up and stare in the mirror every morning.

She's got my look.

* * *

**Now now, let's not think too harshly of Chelsea. After all, he DID glare at her the first time he met her, and he's just not a very polite individual to begin with. When she first meets him, I imagined him having this look of total disgust on his face which is why she's so harsh to him XD**

**Onto the next chapter then :)**


	6. Chapter 6

_~Chelsea~_

Julia laughs as I kick at my barn.

"What, you didn't like him?" she teases, and I roll my eyes.

"It's not that. It's just that I've seen this guy before. Sure, we never talked or anything and it was a one-time encounter, but the look he gave me clearly said he doesn't care about getting involved with anyone. Especially here. He's just not…attached." I finish.

Granted, I probably have no room to speak as I'm not all that attached currently either. But I'm TRYING. Vaughn just looks like he doesn't want to be here at all.

Julia shrugs as she picks at her nails.

"He's just quiet that's all. Remember what I said?"

Racking my brain, I try to remember the term she used the last time we discussed the cowboy. I snap my fingers when I get it.

"Oh, right. Angsty?"

She grins at me.

"Right. Angsty."

xxxXXXxxxXXXxxx

When I lie in bed that night though, I can't help but think about him anyways.

He's nothing like the rest of the people here, all of whom are so friendly that sometimes I wonder how they do it. I mean, no one's ever truly that happy all the time, right? Everyone's got some sort of problem, regardless of whether it's a big one or a small one.

Maybe I'm just overthinking things.

Julia insists either way that I try to warm up to him. I smile, remembering the way she said that we'd get along so well because we're both so similar, although it's beyond me how we're alike at all.

Sure, I'm not the friendliest or nicest of people, but I at least talk to them and try to make friends. From the way Julia talks, it seems like all Vaughn's done the entire time he's been here is either sit in the corner sulking or walk around the island, glaring at every passer-by. Not to mention the look he gave ME when I first went up to him to be introduced. You'd have thought that I had green hair, or that I was hideous, the way he looked at me.

I'm starting to think that Julia has got this notion in her head like I'm going to 'cure' him of his animosity towards others. If you ask me, she's been reading far too many romance novels to compensate for the fact that Elliot, her crush, is too much of a coward to ask her out.

In all honesty, Vaughn probably has fewer problems than I do. Sometimes I manage to forget all the things I left behind; and other nights I can't seem to stop thinking about it all.

Was it really worth it, to run away from all the things I left behind?

xxxXXXxxxXXXxxx

"_Hey, Chelsea! Watch this!"_

_I smile at him as he jumps on the rope we've tied to the tree, climbing up it while it sways. As he smacks into the tree and almost falls off I giggle. _

"_Hurry up and send it back!" I shout to him as he gets up dizzily, winding the rope back towards me._

_We probably shouldn't be where we are, but neither one of us care very much. My friend smiles at me before I come climbing up to where he is. I nearly fall too, but he grabs my hand and pulls me up with so much force I fly onto the branch._

_I land on top of him, and the two of us are laughing when his body starts to quiver uncontrollably._

"_James?" I ask, suddenly afraid of what's happening. _

_Suddenly there's a screaming sound in my ears, high and piercing. _

_And everything turns white._

xxxXXXxxxXXX

I wake up to find that I'm the one screaming. As I sit up, I notice my sheets are frantically tangled around me, and I'm drenched in my own sweat, which I find disgusting.

"What the hell," I mutter, wondering why I had that dream again.

It's been so long since I've had that dream, that it's reoccurrence has me slightly shaken.

I'm about to shake it off and go back to bed when I hear a light, hesitant knock on the door. Thinking someone nearby probably heard me and just came running to make sure I wasn't being murdered in my bed, I open the door with my quilt wrapped around me.

When two violet eyes meet mine, I silently curse under my breath.

* * *

**Ooohhh suspense :P **

**Hahaha I actually have quite a few of the chapters done now cause I worked hard on my day off! *slaves away at computer while there are screams in the background and the distant sounds of a cracking whip***

**But I wasn't sure whether or not I wanted to put them all up right away cause I want people to get slowly interested in the story, not have everything thrust at them at once.**

**Well, I hope you enjoyed it, leave your thoughts and stay tuned! :) Thanks for reading!**


	7. Chapter 7

_~Vaughn~_

I'm walking past the farm when in the distance I hear a scream.

There's no way my conscious will just let me walk past, especially with the way the voice is strangled sounding.

As I run across the bridge, I note that the pain in the scream is almost tangible, the fear and horror almost transparent.

I really hope that she's not dying or something; I just met the girl and haven' t even managed to make a decent impression on her. For some reason, I'm determined to prove her wrong by getting to know her, although I can't figure out why it bothers me so much that she made the assumption I didn't want to be friends.

Wasn't that supposed to make me happy?

Shaking my head to clear it, I trot up to the door and knock lightly on it. When the door swings open, it takes all my willpower to not betray the blush that threatens to crawl on my cheeks.

Is she seriously sleeping in THAT?

The girl's got a quilt wrapped around her, but it's not enough to cover her long, bare legs, and the way she's holding it over her chest implies her shirt isn't doing a very good job of covering her. I can just barely catch a glimpse of the blue stripes and some lace when she shakes her head and looks up at me.

"Wha-what are you doing here?" she stutters, wrapping the blanket even more securely around her tiny figure. At her statement, I roll my eyes slightly.

"What do you think I'm doing here? I heard a scream; that's not normal, especially this late at night," I indicate to the dark sky above us, and she scowls.

"I'm fine. Thanks for your concern, I guess," she says, getting ready to shut the door when I stop her. Sleepily, she glares up at me. "What?" she all but snaps, and I lower my hand as it turns into a fist.

"You were wrong, earlier today." I say, and watch as her face changes to an expression of confusion.

"Huh?"

I clear my throat, and say, "I might…I might want to talk to you. You're not like everyone else here."

At that, she freezes and squints up at me.

"What is that supposed to mean?" she asks casually, although by the way she leans against the door I can tell she's already curious as to why I'm saying this, and as to why I'm speaking so much. Julia's clearly been telling stories about how quiet I am.

I never talk to people, especially like this, but I press on anyways and clear my throat again.

"You're not as happy as everyone else is here," I say bluntly, then pull at my hat cursing my inability to talk to people subtly. I'm surprised however, when she just leans forward, a somewhat sad smile on her face.

"You're right…I'm not. And maybe that's why I was so rude to you today…you aren't as happy as everyone else here is either. Your mood is contagious," she frowns, and I pull my hat down further to cover up a smile from coming up on my face as I observe her expressions.

She continues, oblivious to my silence.

"I don't think you want to be best friends…but since you're talking to me it means you don't hate me the way I thought you did."

I frown; I try not to let on that I dislike people…but even then that's not hate. It's just irritation.

Either way, she shrugs before giving me a rueful smile.

"You won't tell anyone about this, will you?" she says, and I just nod my head before she nods back and closes the door softly.

Turning on my heel swiftly, I take off and try to remember the last time I ever really cared about making a good impression on someone.

xxxXXXxxxXXXxxx

A whole season passes before I see her again.

She's been spending time on her farm, I learn, as I listen to her chat to Mirabelle over the counter. Luckily, most of her crops turned out okay, and now she has just enough money to not only get more crops for summer but can afford to purchase a cow.

Her hair's grown in the time I haven't seen her, and her eyes seem bluer than the last time.

Something's seriously wrong with me; am I really analyzing her this carefully? Surely I can't be that interested in her just because she's like me?

As if she can hear my thoughts, she comes over to me and says, "Hey you."

I pretend to look up in surprise, since the whole time I've been observing her from underneath my hat's view.

"What?" I ask, surprised I'm even answering back. She grins at me and puts her hands on her hips.

"I'm getting a cow. Get up and help me."

While I trail behind, she and Mirabelle lead the way to the stables where several cows and sheep reside. I watch as she seriously ponders which animal to take home with her. It's as if this decision will determine the rest of her life; that's how serious her expression is.

It's all over though, when a pure white cow with only one black mark on its face comes up to her and moos contentedly, nuzzling it's head under her head.

Of course. The cow that falls in love her would be the one that's given me the most trouble since I've been here. Already that cow's managed to escape and wander throughout the town twice, and both of them were when I was here.

While she throws her arms around the animal to hug it, she looks up at me.

"This one," she says, getting up and pointing at it imperiously. With a sigh, I grab a rope and tie it around the cow's neck, leading it out of the shop as I follow Chelsea back to her farm.

She's silent for all of two seconds before she digs her elbow into me.

"Ow. What was that for?" I ask, and she giggles, obviously in a good mood.

"And so it speaks," she proclaims, wagging her eyebrows at me. I resist the urge to rub my forehead in frustration at her teasing. This is the first thing she does when I finally see her again?

Again, she seems to read my mind as she falls silent.

"I know you're probably wondering why I'm like this," she mutters, and I look over, trying to keep the surprise from showing on my face. She continues, not looking at me. "Honestly…I've been avoiding seeing you. The fact that you actually called me out on my attitude…no one here's done that, and it freaked me out a little, to tell you the truth. I hate talking about things that are better off left in the past, you know?"

As much as I hate to admit it, I do know. I know all too well that the past can harbor ten times more emotional pain than the present.


	8. Chapter 8

_~Chelsea~_

Sometimes I think I'm too honest for my own good. Why oh why did I decide it was okay to let him know that I've got some kind of weird, troubled past?

I'm surprised though, when he doesn't mention anything about it, but instead just shrugs as we keep walking. His nonchalant attitude has me wondering whether he cares or whether he's just the kind of person who knows that someone's personal business is their business only.

If I'd said what I said to him to any of the girls here on the island, they'd jump all over me. Inwardly, I groan, remembering that tonight Natalie's asked us all to come over and socialize for a bit. It's rare that we all get a chance to talk together, but when we do it takes every ounce of my willpower to not say something terrible, like how much I hate being there.

The girls themselves are fine, but Julia understands my point of view (thus the reason she is my best friend.) There's no point in gossiping when you could just be going out and doing things to make whatever it is you want happen.

While I'm wrapped up in my thoughts, Vaughn clears his throat.

"We're here," he says in a husky voice, and I look up, noting that we're already at the foot of my farm. Quietly, I lead him to the barn where he pushes the animal in and shuts the door, looping the rope carefully and attaching it to his waist.

"Thanks," I say to be polite, and he nods and tips his hat at me like he's about to take off when I pinch him slightly. That earns me a glare, and a gruff, "What now?" from the cowboy.

I give him a smile and say, "Wanna see something cool?"

xxxXXXxxxXXXxxx

As I climb up the nearest tree, he scoffs at me.

"Get down," he frowns, but I just stick my tongue out at him and continue to climb.

"You shouldn't worry so much, I'm not as delicate as I look," I call down to him while he scowls on the jungle floor, kicking at the tree. We've gone to Mushroom Island, as its foliage is the perfect place to explore. I figured that if anything, he'll enjoy it since it's a quiet place to be and he seems to like quiet.

On the other hand, maybe bringing him here was a bad idea, since I like to climb trees and be adventurous and he seems to feel like I'll hurt myself if I keep going.

While I test the next branch on my journey upwards he crosses his arms and calls up, "I'm not going to catch you if you fall!"

Laughing down at him, I call back, "Well fine by me, cause I won't fall!"

I speak just a little too soon, as the branch I grab isn't quite strong enough, and it snaps off easily in my hand. I'm falling, and I'm about to brace myself for the impact when I feel that suddenly, I'm no longer falling.

He caught me. He actually caught me.

When I look up at him, the surprise must show on my face because he scowls and nearly drops me again as he goes to tug his hat down.

Putting me down, he mutters, "Told you."

I can't help the smirk that grows on my face.

"I thought you weren't going to catch me?" I tease, and I enjoy the sight of him betraying some emotion as he blushes just ever so slightly and pulls his hat down even more.

"What, you think I'm just going to watch you break something and gloat at you?" he demands, but I just sit down, and lean against the tree.

"Why are you talking to me anyways?" I ask, and he clams up at the question. The way he's been acting has me thinking that maybe he's not as quiet as Julia thinks he is. Then again, maybe he's just not quiet around me because he can sense that I too, have some kind of emotional hurricane going on inside.

While I deliberate all this, he answers in a surprisingly soft voice.

"You know."

Oh yay, thanks for yet ANOTHER cryptic answer. I clear my throat and look up at him.

"And just what exactly do I know?" I ask, causing him to shift back to his gruff mode as he sits down beside me.

"You know pain. And suffering. Like me."

Again, he surprises me with how descriptive one can be with such a limited amount of words. Somehow, I want to prove him wrong though; I want to show him that I'm not entirely like him.

I stand up and brush off my pants, looking into the distance.

"Maybe. But I'm not like you in the fact that I disguise it better and can still communicate with the outside world."

xxxXXXxxxXXXxxxXXX

I'm at Natalie's now. The little pink haired girl has got us all sitting down in a circle around a candle as we're in her room late at night, like we're about to call back a spirit from the dead or something. The only things missing from the picture is the fact that we're not holding hands and a skull or magical book of sorts.

Either way, I decide to enjoy it. There's nothing like mindless gossip to distract you from the more important things in life. While I sit back, Natalie shoots a look at Julia, who's lounging just like me.

"Julia," she asks, tugging at her bow. "What's up with you and my brother?"

I smother a laugh as Julia turns slightly pink and manages to say, "Nothing. Why do you ask?"

The rest of the girls in the circle know it's a lie, and as we all smirk at her she finally caves.

"Okay," she admits, "So maybe I'm slightly interested in him…" her voice trails off as three pairs of eyes glint at her knowingly.

Lanna giggles. As much as I find her annoying in some ways, she can be funny, and now's one of those times. The popstar teases Julia, saying, "Just slightly?"

We all fall back in helpless laughter as Julia turns red now as opposed to the pink shade she was before.

"Shut up you guys!" she squeals, and obligingly Lanna sobers up and turns to me.

"You interested in anyone, Chels?" she shoots at me, and I smirk inwardly, just knowing that she's only asking this question to make sure I'm not interested in Denny, the new fisherman that moved in not too long after I did.

"Romance is lame," I say, which has them all shaking their heads at me while they smile. It's like they can't tell that I'm actually being serious.

Lanna pouts. "You don't like anyone? Anyone at all?" she asks, still trying to figure out who I like. I roll my eyes.

"Nope. Not interested in anyone in the least."

Julia gives me a sly look, and I quickly poke her in the side lest she mention the name "Vaughn." Already the girls questioned me when the cowboy and I returned to the town together.

I have no idea why though; we went our separate ways right afterwards, him to Mirabelle's and me to Natalie's. I have a feeling though that Julia mentioned casually how he took longer than it usually takes to deliver an animal, although neither Lanna nor Natalie let on that they know that.

xxxXXXxxxXXXxxxXXX

Oh great. They've fallen asleep.

I'm not surprised really; these girls have no nightmares to worry about. They don't lay there in bed and pray that they'll have a peaceful sleep. They just conk out happily and probably dream of boys.

Me on the other hand, now that's a different story.

Sometimes, I fall asleep quickly too, but more often than not I take hours upon hours to sleep. And when I sleep, it's always the same; a blank, white room. Nothing more, nothing less.

It's rare I dream of something else, but when I do it's always THAT dream. The same one that I've had for the past three nights now. Luckily, I haven't screamed since that first time.

Well, maybe I have, but no one's come knocking on my door near midnight so I don't think I've been screaming.

With a sigh, I shift Julia's head off mine and stand up, cracking my back as I do so. The door opens ever so slightly, and I see Elliot peeking in nervously.

"Nat?" he whispers, and I motion for him to open the door completely.

"They passed out. Help me get them to the bed, or the couch or something. We can't just leave them on the floor," I say, and Elliot nods and goes to get his sister. I go for Lanna first, figuring she'll be the easiest to drag for me since she's only a few inches taller than me and weighs less than Julia.

Yes, I'm the kind that leaves the best friend sleeping on the floor while I drag the annoying one to the nearest couch. Nice, aren't I?

When I turn around, I see Elliot's already got Julia in his arms, completing my work. Julia would die with happiness right now…if she was awake and knew that this really happened. She'll never believe me when I tell her this tomorrow.

I lean against Natalie's dresser as I watch Elliot carefully carry my friend to the couch as well and put her down gently. He's blushing as he turns to me.

"Would you like to stay the night as well?" he asks politely, but I shake my head before heading out the door. Right before I leave, I nod at Julia.

"You should talk to her more, Elliot," I tell the pink haired boy, who shifts nervously at the thought and grabs his glasses. I grin, glad to know that thought of Julia makes him nervous; it means he clearly sees her as more than just a friend.

With a wave, I leave Elliot blushing next to my friend's prone form.

* * *

**So you guys, my fluff roots...they come out regardless of how much I try to hide them, so expect some fluff coming up in the story XD**

**I tried, seriously I did! But it's so hard for me...cause I found out my bf cheated on me and was unrepentant about it all, and so I fell back into writing more as a result of coping with my anger and my desire to punch the living daylights out of him...and as a result there is fluff XD**

**I do hope you enjoy it though, either way :3 Thanks for reading! **


	9. Chapter 9

_~Vaughn~_

I told her she was going to fall. What an idiot.

I'm lying in bed, thinking about everything that happened today, from her falling from the tree to the way I all but stepped on some guy with a purple top hat. As obnoxious a color as it was, I still didn't see him.

Sighing, I roll over as I remember the expression on her face when I caught her. She acted so surprised that I actually caught her when I'd said not two seconds earlier I wouldn't.

Well DUH. Because I'm just going to let some girl fall to her death? I don't think so.

I may be an 'anti-social jerk' as she so nicely put it when I asked her what everyone on this island thinks I am, but I'm not going to sit there and laugh as someone breaks something. That's truly terrible.

And speaking of truly terrible, how about that thunder outside?

The rain falls so heavily here, and the thunder is too loud for my liking. I love thunder and I love rain, as much as I'd never admit it to anyone; there's something absolutely thrilling about the way you don't know what's coming, and then you hear it and realize you're not as great as you thought you were.

I know now, that I'm not as amazing as I always thought I was. How could I be, when I couldn't even protect the person I loved the most?

xxxXXXxxxXXXxxx

The picture frame is the only thing that offers me a greeting when I walk into the empty house that I call home.

Home. What a vacant word it is to me.

I sigh, and shake my hat before putting it on the coat hanger that my father used to use. It's been about two weeks since I was last here, so I'm not surprised when I sit down at the table and there's already a thin layer of dust on it.

Sometimes I think I'd like to move out and live in the city or something as it would be closer to the sea, but then again that would mean renting an apartment, and for what? To only live there one day out of seven days a week?

No thanks. I'll take this free, empty house any day over that.

Besides that, I honestly don't think I could ever give up this house. As much as I claim to not be sentimental and attached to anything, this is the one place I can ever truly be at peace.

This…this WAS my home…

xxxXXXxxxXXXxxxXXXXxxx

Pots and pans clatter to the fall and I curse under my breath as I pick them up and put them in the sink. My mother would've killed me now if she could see how I live, which honestly makes me kind of glad she's not here to see how I've turned out to be.

If she could see her happy little child now, she'd probably cry. And there's nothing I hate more than crying. I hate it the most though, when it's a woman who's crying. That's probably the one trait I've retained from my childhood; I could never stand it when I saw my mom cry.

Luckily, she didn't cry very much. My father made sure of that, always doing his best to make her happy. When I was younger, I used to think such a pure-hearted love was the only way for me, and that I'd be exactly the same way when I grew up.

How silly I was back then.

How foolish, to think that pure-hearted love exists so easily. It's a rare thing, what my parents had.

Ah.

I'm thinking about it again, and that's a mistake in itself. Turning to look at the porridge I'm making, I wonder curiously about the 'cooking festival' that Mirabelle invited me to come at. It's on the thirteenth, and I couldn't exactly say no because it's a Monday and I'll definitely be on the island then.

It's bound to be an obvious choice, who'll win what with Nick competing. The guy runs the diner; how could he NOT win? Granted, Felicia might just give him a run for his money but everyone knows what's going to happen.

Sometimes I don't know why they even bother pretending like it's otherwise.

On the other hand…it ought to be interesting to see Chelsea's attempt at cooking. From what I can tell about her in the few times we've hung out, she's not very girly. She's not giggly, she's not delicate (looks ARE deceiving after all) and she's most definitely not the type you'd see in some sort of apron, the way my mom always wore one.

And I know for a fact that the winner of the contest will receive some monetary prize. She's bound to enter that, since she needs all the money she can get right now.

Maybe I'll seriously consider going to it now.

After all, who doesn't love free entertainment?


	10. Chapter 10

_~Chelsea~_

"WRAHHHHH!" I throw my hands up in the air in frustration while Pierre tries to calm me down.

"Chelsea!" he frets, as I nearly upset the bowl in front of me. I sought out his help for my entry to the cooking contest, even though I knew it was almost like cheating to do so.

Luckily, he and I became close when he found out that I think his top hat is really cool. Apparently he almost got stepped on by some "mean cowboy" he's never seen before and the guy just glared at him and muttered how ugly his purple hat was before taking off without any apology.

When I heard the story, I snickered and reminded myself to scold Vaughn for it later, whether he listens to me or not.

Either way, I'm standing in Pierre's kitchen with the door locked as I try to make a salad, the most basic dish of all. Originally, he was going to teach me desserts, which was what he wanted the contest to be, but once I started cooking and he realized just how terrible I am he relented and decided he'd make it easy since it was my first year.

It doesn't seem to matter though, however easy the dish is to make.

"Salad is all in the presentation!" the small cook insists, and I stare confusedly at the bowl before, where I've dumped in a mix of hacked tomatoes and torn lettuce leaves.

"But if you eat it and still tastes good what's the difference? Who cares how it looks?" I whine, and Pierre eyes me sternly, slapping my hand lightly with the brown mixing spoon he holds in his hand; he's so talented at what he does that he's managed to make a cake while teaching me. And the cake is nearly finished, but I've still no idea what I'm doing.

"I care," he admonishes me, "so get it right!"

xxxXXXxxxXXXxxx

I'm happily munching on cake as I walk down the street. Not thirty minutes after my tantrum started, Pierre just sighed and gave up before asking if I wanted some of the cake he made.

Of course I wanted cake. I love cake. Who doesn't love cake?

My question is answered when I roughly collide into something solid, which pulls back and says in an angry voice, "Thanks a lot."

I look up and see that I've not only run straight into Vaughn (why's he on the island today? It's a Sunday! He's early?) but I've managed to totally squash the cake into his vest, ruining it.

"Oh hey, Vaughn," I say lazily as I grin up at him, and he just roll his eyes and grabs me, dragging me off to Mirabelle's.

xxxXXXxxxxXXXxxx

After pulling me past a wide-eyed Julia and a smirking Mirabelle, he takes off the vest and throws it at me, sitting on his bed and crossing his arms. I stare uncomprehendingly at him until he sighs in frustration and points at the bathroom that's attached to his room.

"Clean it," he orders, and I make a face but go ahead and rinse the vest obligingly, getting the cake off as best I can. After hanging it, I walk out and find him still frowning at me.

"What?" I demand, "I already cleaned your crummy vest. Get over it, the cake's off of it."

He just looks at me and raises an eyebrow.

"There's food on your face," he says, and my hands fly upwards so that I nearly smack myself in the face. This gets a half smirk from him-probably the closest thing I've ever seen to a smile on this guy. Leaning forward, he puts out a hand and swipes roughly at my cheek.

"Idiot," he mutters as he takes his hand back, but I know that he's probably thinking he's the idiot for even doing that for me. My face is red as I realize the gesture he just made, but I shake my head frantically and say, "Seriously, what do you want?"

He sighs.

"For you to shut up," he states bluntly. I open my mouth to complain about how HE dragged ME here, when he scoots over to the other side of the bed and pats the other end, signaling me to sit.

I shut up and sit.

We stay like that, silent for a few minutes before he clears his throat.

"You're gonna participate in the festival then?" he asks, surprising me. I totally didn't see that one coming.

"Wha-?" I say, sounding extremely stupid. I'm rewarded with a contemptuous glance from him.

Before he can say anything condescending, I clear my throat and say, "Yeah, what's it to you?"

He shrugs and says, "I'm trying to make conversation. Deal with it."

It's an innocent enough reason, and I'm sure it's true to a point, but when I see the beginnings of another one of his weird half smirks I know the real reason he asked me the question.

"You think I can't cook," I say flatly, and he freezes. _Bingo._

After a cough, he says, "Never said that."

My anger gets the better of me, and I rage, "Whatever, you didn't have to say anything I can tell what you're thinking!"

When he rolls his eyes, I really lose it, and I pounce on him, not even thinking about what I'm doing.

"Wha, what are you doing?! Get off!" he yells as I grab him in a headlock and throw off his hat, ruffling up his hair. I realize now that I've probably gone about this in the wrong way, but fighting has always been the way I've defended myself so it's just my natural instinct to do so.

It isn't like I haven't fought bigger opponents after all. Unfortunately, Vaughn's stronger than I estimated and he shoves me off him and slams me into the bed.

"What the hell is wrong with you," he demands, looking down at me, not realizing the position he's put us in.

I shrug defensively.

"Lots of things. You know that. I mean, you don't KNOW know that, but you know that clearly I don't tick right."

His anger fades at my statement and I can tell he's about to question me about what I mean by that when a gasp in the doorway stops him.

When we look up, we see Julia staring, her face entirely red.

Vaughn looks at her, then looks down at me and realizes what I realized a long time ago.

One of his legs is in between mine, and his hands are wrapped around my wrists as he pins me to the bed. He's leaning over me, and in the tussle my shirt has ridden up a bit. Not to mention he has no vest or hat on right now.

Letting go quickly, he picks up his hat and storms out the door while Julia looks at me and says, "Chelsea!"

xxxXXXxxxXXXxxxXXXxxx

"Ohhhh. So that's what happened."

"Don't sound so disappointed," I say, poking at my crops I bought for summer. Julia knows now that what happened wasn't at all what she thought it was, and we're on my farm. She's watching me as I squat down and observe each plant carefully, making sure that nothing's wrong with any of them.

She pouts anyways and leans against my windmill as we go to stand near it, staring as the sun sets in the distance.

"I can't be disappointed that my best friend doesn't have any notions of romance at all?" she frowns, and I shrug, not really wanting to talk about it. Julia just pouts even more at my stoic manner.

To get her mind off my issues, I say slyly, "So what happened when you woke up the other day at Natalie's? You never did tell me."

I'm right to ask that question; she perks up immediately and begins talking about how Elliot had made all the girls breakfast, but had given her the best of the food, causing both Lanna and Natalie to smirk at her and Elliot to blush.

Suddenly she stops talking and mutters a curse under her breath.

"What?" I ask, and she smacks herself in the forehead.

"I forgot to feed the chickens! Vaughn's gonna be so pissed if he has to make up for my chores AGAIN! Bye Chelsea, I'll see you tomorrow!" As she rushes off frantically I laugh and wave good-bye to her before straightening up to head into my house.

* * *

**Okay, so this is NOT a spoiler, but the two games I connected to this game are More Friends of Mineral Town and Two Towns because those are the only two games right now I know well enough to write about besides this one XD Just a heads up...especially for future characters and explanations.**

**Thanks for reading! :) Leave any thoughts or comments if you want!**


	11. Chapter 11

_~Vaughn~_

I don't know why I came to this island earlier than usual. I really have no idea at all.

Something like a siren's song, maybe? No, that's not it. It's her.

It's not love; it's more a curiosity. It's a want to know. I want to know what happened to this girl. I want to know if she's every bit as scarred as I am…because when I think that I might not be the only one living such a fragile existence, I feel like I'm not alone.

Nobody, even me, likes to be alone.

I learned how to deny that a long time ago, but it doesn't mean I don't feel it.

xxxXXXxxxXXXxxx

She runs into me, of course. It's just so very…Chelsea. Rude, blunt, annoying Chelsea.

Why do I bother with this girl anyways?

When I pull away from her, I look down and see she's managed to get food all over my vest. That puts me in a bad mood, but I just frown and grab her wrist, pulling her behind me roughly. Like it or not, this vest was expensive and she's not getting off without cleaning up HER mess.

And then THAT happens.

The little imp wrestles me and I forget to hold back my strength when I push her off and hold her down so she can't fight me anymore. When I held her down, she never even flinched or winced even though afterwards I realized I'd been gripping her wrists far too tightly-she'll have bruises tomorrow, if my red fingermarks on her skin were any indication of that.

But she didn't seem to feel any of it; she was far too concerned with teasing me. I don't know what she hopes to get out of it, but I think she's trying to avoid it.

My questions about her past, that is.

Normally I couldn't care less about people's issues, but this is just too intriguing for me to stop now.

Besides that, I don't know why but I feel as if she's going to annoy the crap out of me, I might as well do the same to her.

xxxXXXxxxXXXxxxXXX

While everyone else chatter excitedly, I scowl and lean back against a tree. It's hard to stay here; everyone's so plastic it's killing me. That, or they're just unnaturally happy, and that bugs me too.

I remind myself I'm only here for one reason.

To see Chelsea's attempt at cooking-which judging by the way the shortie with the purple hat is looking at her has got to be absolutely terrible.

_Perfect._

He clears his throat and begins the whole, stupid affair.

"Hello everyone! As you know, my name's Pierre, and I'm here to judge the cooking festival today, so let all the participants come forward with their food now please!"

The participants all line up with food in hand and march up to their designated spot, placing their entries on the table while Pierre goes on about the theme for this year, salad. I can't help but think he changed it to make it easy enough for Chelsea-again, he shoots her a concerned look before heading to the first person at the long table.

All I can say is that if she doesn't win, it won't be because the judge just doesn't like her. If anything, the looks he's been giving her say he's already partially biased towards her. Probably where she got that cake from yesterday too, now that I think about it.

Wait. What do I care?

Pierre tastes everyone's food with the utmost care, and I have to hand it to the guy; he really loves his profession. Just the way he carefully brings the fork to his mouth indicates that he values good cooking more than the average person does.

It's not long before he reaches Chelsea's entry, and I peek over the crowd to get a glimpse of her food. It looks fine enough, the lettuce is all there with the tomatoes and even a few carrots thrown in. However, unlike the other contestants, the salad looks like it's been chopped hastily, and she clearly hasn't taken time to primp it up before bringing it here.

While Pierre makes a wry face at her presentation, I frown. She's got a farm to take care of first and foremost, and I'm positive that she's only in this contest in order to get some more money to help her at her farm.

She'd never take any charity either-that's not how she is. This would be the only way she'd take money from someone, I know it.

Pierre smiles apologetically at her before he tastes it. He winces ever so slightly, coughs, and then makes his way back to his initial spot, where everyone can see him (or at least see his annoying top hat).

"I've chosen a winner," he announces, and it takes willpower to not roll my eyes at his statement. Well of course he has. Why ELSE would he be up there? Continuing on, he clears his throat and points to Nick, the café owner.

"Nick, congratulations!" he proclaims, walking over to shake the man's hand and give him a small sack of coins. While everyone flocks to the other contestants, all giving them hugs and giving Nick handshakes and back slaps, I watch as Chelsea's confronted by Pierre and Julia.

Julia hugs her but Chelsea just laughs and pushes her off before fondly patting the top of Pierre's head, as the gourmet attempts what must be an apology. Waving at them, she picks up her food and saunters off towards her farm like she could care less about the outcome of the whole thing.

xxxXXXxxxXXXxxxXXXXxxx

I can hear her through the door. She's not crying, which surprised me for all of two seconds when I remembered it's CHELSEA and not some whiny girl at this farm. From what I can tell, she's ranting to her cow, Lissa, how she really could've used the money. Occasionally I hear something fall over and the sound of her boot hitting something, so she's got to be venting her anger out on the hay bales she has in there, along with a few buckets and other various items.

Her antics nearly make me want to laugh, but I swallow the urge and quietly open the door to see her sitting with her back against the cow, eyes closed.

"Chelsea?" I ask, and her eyes fly open. Her cheeks turn red when she sees it's me.

"Oh, it's just YOU. Go away Vaughn," she complains in a muffled voice as she drops her head into her arm. Cautiously, I walk over to stand in front of her.

"So you can't cook, huh?" I say, smooth as ever. This gets her attention though, and she glares up at me.

"Oh shut up," she says, "It's not like you didn't know that already. Weren't you making fun of me for it yesterday?"

I just shrug and she sighs before pointing at where she's placed the salad carefully on top of barrel.

"Try some," she says, her face still buried into her arm. I walk over and peek at it, before deciding I might as well try it once. Pierre ate some, and he's still alive, so I should be okay.

Carefully, I take a bite of it. And then another bite. And another.

"There's nothing wrong with this," I grunt, and she looks up meekly. "What?" she asks, confused, and I continue, gesturing down at the bowl in my hand.

"Sure, it could use a little more oil and your presentation is terrible, but if you properly cut things up and maybe even added some mayonnaise and a bit of mushroom this would taste really-"

She interrupts me, giving me a weird look.

"Since when were you so talkative? And since when did you know so much about COOKING?"

I turn bright red at this, and she leaps up, a triumphant look on her face. I've said far too much, and she can tell by the way she smirks at me as she leans in to observe me closer.

"Well?" she asks, and I sigh and put the bowl down.

"None of your damn business."


	12. Chapter 12

_~Chelsea~_

That stupid cowboy, thinking he can pry into my business when he's not even willing to share a bit of his own past with me. How stingy!

But it's interesting to that he knows so much about cooking…unless he's secretly some kind of gourmet like Pierre, he's hiding something. Cooking must just be a part of it, although I halfway doubt it was anything terribly important.

Besides that, he actually BLUSHED today. Now that was a sight. He actually went all out and showed some emotion, a rare thing for him I'm sure. No doubt he's probably pissed off though, since I got him to react to something.

While I put on my pajamas, I wonder to myself why he wants to know so much about my past. Somehow, I'm sure it's not because he fancies me. He doesn't seem like the type to go for a girl just because she seems to have a messed up life.

Nah. It's something deeper than that, I'm sure. There's no use in me pondering it though, as I'm already far too sleepy and far too ready to get today's events out of my mind.

I close my eyes and sleep.

xxxXXXxxxXXXxxxXXXxxx

The next day I'm walking through town. After spending my morning tending to crops and my cow, I'm more than ready for a bit of human contact, even if it means running into…dare I say it? Lanna.

Instead, I come across the inn and realize I've yet to really go inside. Sure, I've met Count Dracula-at least, that's what Julia and I call him. Regis looks far too much like him to be called otherwise. But the inn looks like a tempting place to explore nonetheless.

I'm greeted by a soft spoken girl with long, dark hair that I never even knew existed on this island.

"Hello," she says softly, her glasses set delicately on her face. I smile, somehow wanting to be gentle to this girl.

I hold out my hand and say, "Hello. I'm Chelsea. Don't think we've met."

She takes my hand shyly and shakes it gently.

"I'm Sabrina; it's very nice to meet you, Chelsea."

While she retracts her hand, I notice the book she holds in the crook of her arm. It's an old time favorite of mine and I can't help but as her, "So how are you enjoying Catcher in the Rye then?"

She looks surprised that I've asked her about the book, but she holds it closer to her and smiles lightly.

"He's so very lost, poor boy," she says with a smile, "But I'm rooting for him to make out all right."

I resist the urge to spoil the book for her and I smile back at the girl. She seems surprised that I've smiled; then again, my face is not one that's entirely welcoming. I'm no grump, but Julia tells me that I've always got this look on my face like I'm just daring people to antagonize me.

Most likely it's my defense mechanism, putting up a tough face, but either way I don't want to make this girl feel bad. I actually kind of want take care of her; she looks too shy to be the type that makes friends easily, and for some reason that makes me want to reach out and be her friend myself.

Weird.

While I'm thinking all this, she looks down at the book and says, "I rather like it."

My smile twists a bit as I think of how I like the book as well, although probably not for the same reasons she does. There's something delicious about how the main character has the same warped sense of person as I do, the same bitter thoughts about life.

Granted, Holden Caulfield's life was much better than mine in some ways, but we think similarly, which is why I've loved this book since I first learned how to read and picked it up.

I realize my face must be getting scary, as Sabrina shrinks away for a bit, and I soften my expression again and say, "You should come hang out with the other girls sometime; we'll have fun together." Waving, I head for the door leaving her looking after me with a puzzled, but happy smile.

xxxXXXXxxxxXXXXxxxx

As I walk out, I nearly trip over my own two feet again only to be caught by a strong pair of hands. I'm about to say, "Thanks, Vaughn," when I remember its Thursday so he wouldn't be on the island. Not to mention that the person who's holding onto my waist is blond.

Not knowing this guy, I totally freak out and smack him the face to make him let go. As I dart back I stare at him and demand, "Who the heck are you?"

The guy smiles politely, despite the fact that I probably just broke his nose, and as he holds his injured face he says, "I did not mean to startle you, my lady."

What the heck.

Who even talks like that anymore? While I'm contemplating running away from the creep, Sabrina comes outside and seeing the guy lights up.

"Will?" she asks with a big smile, and the guy turns to her and smiles. If he wasn't holding his now bleeding nose, I'd say that it would actually be kind of dazzling to see that smile of his.

Please don't be her boyfriend. I just met her and decided to protect her in all her sweetness; if I broke her boyfriend's nose I don't think I'd ever be able to forgive myself.

Sabrina, meanwhile, goes up to him and frowns.

"Will, what happened?" she asks, and Will just smiles again and closes his eyes with a rueful laugh.

"I think I scared the young lady here," he says, indicating to me. Sabrina looks at me while I give the guy a weird look.

"I'm no young lady; we're the same age," I say weakly as Sabrina comes up to me and smiles gently, taking my hand.

"Don't worry, Chelsea. It's just my cousin Will." She reassures me, seeing that I probably look worried about the fact I nearly knocked the guy out. Hearing it's her cousin only makes me feel worse though than if she'd said boyfriend, so I turn to him sheepishly and say, "Oh. I'm sorry…I just freaked out a bit, that's all."

He just keeps smiling and says, "It's perfectly fine, my lady. The fault was mine for being so forward as to grab your waist."

Okay, this is going to get seriously annoying really fast. I decide to fix the whole problem and grab his wrist, and turn to Sabrina.

"Can I borrow your bathroom and a first aid kit?" I ask.

xxxXXXxxxXXXxxx

He sits on the edge of the tub while I mutter under my breath, rummaging through the kit Sabrina shyly handed me before shutting the door. Will watches me curiously, still holding his bleeding nose, and I turn to him and demand flatly, "Show me your nose."

Waving his free hand frantically, he says, "Oh, I can't have you take care of this! I'll be just-"

Before he can say the word fine I've all but ripped his hand away from his face, and I lean in to fix the damage I caused. While he stares at me, surprised at my strength, I sigh and push my hair back so it doesn't get blood on it.

"It doesn't look too serious," I say, standing up after cleaning the wound and putting a band-aid on it. After putting everything back in the kit, I turn to him and say, "Take off your shirt, it's got blood on it. I'll clean it and go ask Sabrina for a different one for you to use."

He's about to insist I don't need to when I glare at him, which causes him to lapse into silence. Meekly, he hands his shirt over after taking it off and I turn on the sink, scrubbing furiously. While I scrub, he begins to talk to me.

"I don't believe I got your name, my lady." He says, and I flinch at the use of 'my lady'. I give him a wry look and say, "Chelsea. Call me Chelsea, and none of this 'my lady' crap. I couldn't be less of a lady if I tried."

Will looks shocked at my language and manner, before giving me a curious look as I continue.

"I'm not ladylike at all, but I'm fine just the way I am. Besides, if I was a lady I wouldn't be trying to fix a dilapidated farm into a huge ranch. Also, I wouldn't have punched you."

He surprises me as he smiles and grabs one of my hands, kissing it lightly.

"All women are ladies; and that is how I will treat them, regardless of their profession," he says earnestly. Half of me wants to laugh at how chivalrous he is, but the other half of me secretly thinks it's kinda sweet.

He continues, oblivious to my manners; or lack thereof.

"I'd like to make friends while I am here…and I feel like you and I could become very close," he says, flashing another smile at me.

This could be potentially interesting.

I turn to grin at him and lean down so we're face to face. I lean in, and once we're so close that he's blushing I say, "Sure, we'll be friends. We'll have LOTS of fun."


	13. Chapter 13

_~Vaughn~_

The next time I step onto the islands, Chelsea runs into me excitedly.

"I was waiting for you!" she crows, as I push her off and give her a contemptuous glance. She chooses to ignore it and grabs my wrist urging me to follow her.

"Let's have fun today, you're only here for two days so I want to make the most of it," she insists, and as I'm pulled against my will towards Mirabelle's, I see a few people in the street staring. I want to cover my face and pull away, but I can't bring myself to rip my arm away from her.

Why does she have to look so damn happy to see me?

When we get to Mirabelle's, she watches me put my stuff away before demanding I spend my days on the island with her. I'm getting ready to protest and say I have work when Mirabelle nods, saying that she's got no work for me this week so I'm free to do whatever for the two days I'm here.

I'm sure that Chelsea has something to do with this, but I don't protest as she drags me onto the boat and we head over to Meadow Island.

xxxXXXxxxXXXxxxXXX

She runs onto the island and throws herself on the sweet smelling grass, rolling around in it. While she does so, I walk over to her and look at her, wondering what she wants from me. There's no way she just wants to casually 'hang out'.

Rolling over so that she's on her stomach, she crosses her feet and looks up at me.

"Vaughn," she says, "We have to forget about our scars."

What? This was totally not what I was expecting. She sees my face and sits up, suddenly serious.

"My past eats me up…and I can tell yours does too, right? That's why you're so interested in me…but I don't want to go back to that. I want to move on, and you should move on too. So instead of being friends that share tormented pasts, why can't we be friends helping each other to move on from that?"

It's an interesting thought. I've never once really considered 'moving on' because I HAVE been trying to avoid that part of my life.

Is this the way to heal everything?

Something inside me doubts it, but I want to give it a try anyways. Besides that, Chelsea looks like she's about to cry every time I mention she has scars that I want to talk about, and I hate crying.

"Fine," I agree, although I know that sooner or later the past will come bursting out, whether it's hers or mine.

It's only a matter of time before one of us cracks completely.

xxxXXXxxxXXXxxxXXXxxx

"Why is the sky so blue?" she muses as we lie on the grass, staring up at the clouds.

"Why are you so freakishly annoying?" I ask, and she pouts, reaching over to smack my arm.

Inwardly I wince, while I mentally remind myself not to let her know that her punches actually hurt. She's a lot stronger than she looks, that's for sure.

"Why don't you smile?" she shoots back, and I frown.

"Why bother smiling if there's no reason to?" I say, but that only gets her a scowl.

"Aren't I a good enough reason to smile?" she asks, and that earns her a snort from me. Chelsea looks over at me with an annoyed look on her face.

"That was an attractive sound," she says, trying to egg me into anger, but I just let it fly past me like I do most things as I settle down more comfortably in the grass.

"It's about as attractive as you are," I counter. She looks pissed, and I'm actually slightly pleased when she smiles instead.

"You talk more to me now. I kind of like it, to be honest. Before you were always so…serious and cryptic. At least now you can joke, even if you ARE still a jerk."

Well, she's right about that. I probably haven't talked this much since I was ten. Then again, since I was ten I haven't found very many interesting people to bother talking to. And most people can't take my constantly stoic or terrible attitude. I just don't have a way with people.

Chelsea on the other hand, is every bit as sarcastic as I am. Probably why we get along as well as we do, despite us just now hanging out. Sure, sometimes she's a little too happy and talkative for me, but at least it never means we're in awkward silence.

Silence is one thing; when it's awkward it's an entirely different matter.

Breaking through my train of thought, she sighs obnoxiously and I look over.

"What?" I say flatly, and she scrounges up her face, her nose crinkling as she does so. It's actually kind of cute, seeing her face like that.

Dear Goddess, shoot me now. I did NOT just think that.

Chelsea sighs again and says, "I'm trying to figure out why I find it so interesting to ruin Will's innocence when I want to protect Sabrina so much."

I rack my brain, trying to figure out who she's talking about when a small girl with a pink bow and glasses comes to mind. Sabrina. I remember her purely because I sent her scurrying off with a scared look on her face when all she said was 'hello' to me. I felt guilty afterwards, although I've no idea why. The name Will is a new one though.

"Will?" I ask. She looks at me quizzically until she remembers that I don't live on the islands like she does.

"Sabrina's cousin," she tells me, and the first thing that pops into my head is an image of a tall, lanky guy with dark hair and giant glasses. Stereotyping, I know.

Like she can read my mind, she punches me again and I hold back the urge to punch her back.

"He's actually really different from her," she says, "he's…well he's like a prince. Actually, I think he is a prince, but I wasn't paying much attention when he started talking about that. I've no interest in white horses and knights in shining armor. Neither of them really exist."

I poke her. "White horses exist, moron."

She sticks her tongue out at me with a scowl. "You know what I meant."

xxxXXXxxxXXXxxxXXXXxxx

Tuesday's spent the exact same way; her dragging me off to some secluded area where we talk about everything under the sun. Or well, she talks. I answer occasionally, and most of them are snide comments or comebacks.

When I'm finally ready to leave, she comes with me to the boat.

"When you come back, let's go explore a different island," she says as I'm waiting in line to get on the boat, which hasn't even docked in yet. I look down at her; it's about four in the morning and she's shivering as we stand on the windy beach.

"When I come back, you should get a different pair of clothes," I say, and she bumps me lightly with her hip as the boat comes in and everyone starts to get on and off.

"Have fun," she says in a voice dripping with sarcasm. I just tip my hat to her and get on, watching as she turns into a tiny figure in the distance the further the boat gets away.

xxxXXXxxxXXXxxx

"I'm home," I call out to the picture frame that sits exactly where I left it. Peace at last, from both my job and Chelsea's attempts at being friends.

And her attempts to make me forget that we both need healing.

Normally, I'd just make myself some food then go to bed, but I suddenly get the urge to really talk to someone…even though normally that's not what I do. There're only two people that I really don' t mind talking to, but both of them will never be able to answer back or help me out ever again.

Grabbing the picture frame, I stare at it and sit down on the edge of my bed.

"Hi mom, hi dad," I say softly, cleaning the dust off with one of my gloves. As I run my hand over the glass, I look at it and smile ruefully.

"It's been awhile, hasn't it? Don't worry mom; the house is just fine. Just the way you left it, minus that the barn's empty and I'm the only one here. Your things are fine too, dad. I never touched your violin; although I know you intended to give it to me anyways.

There's this really annoying girl at my work now. Well, not at my work, but she's there all the time, bugging me. We're friends of sorts, I guess. I think it's weird that she wants to talk to someone like me, but you always did say I was charming, didn't you mom?"

The woman in the picture frame just smiles up at me silently, and I can't take it anymore before I hug the picture softly to my chest.

"I miss you. I miss you and dad so much."


	14. Chapter 14

_~Chelsea~_

I figured that the best way to avoid Vaughn asking me about my past was to just tell him we could forget about things together. Deep inside, I know that it's not going to work, nor will it be that easy, but I know that as long as I try it might make things easier for the both of us.

Besides that, it's funny to see him actually opening up to me, even if it's not about anything particularly important. Granted, he just makes jibes at me when we hang out, but at least he's talking to me now. Before he used to just grunt, so even his mean remarks are considered an improvement by me.

As I watch his boat go off into the distance, I feel a hand on my shoulder before I'm draped in a coat.

"Chelsea, you're going to catch a cold!" Will frets over me as I untangle myself from his coat.

"The hell?" I ask him, and he blushes when I say, "Seriously, what are you doing up at this hour? And on the BEACH?"

He shrugs and pouts, obviously sad that I'm not drooling all over his impeccable manners like all the other girls here do.

"Well I WAS just sitting in my yacht enjoying some tea to help me get back to sleep when I saw you walking out with some guy in a cowboy hat. I figured you'd be cold so I followed and…" Realizing that he sounds a bit like a stalker, he turns even more red but I just shrug and pinch his cheek.

"Come on, you," I say as I wrap his coat around me and start heading back towards my farm. "We're going to start toughening you up, today."

xxxXXXxxxXXXxxxXXXxxx

Will looks at me uncertainly while Julia giggles and Sabrina looks at the whole situation slightly worried. We're on one of the newer islands that I've discovered; Mushroom island, as the Kirk, the boat's owner told me.

There's a waterfall here that leads to a beautiful little swimming hole. Julia and Sabrina are wading in the shallows, Sabrina's skirt pinned up and Julia in her shorts. I stand at the top of the waterfall with Will, both of us in our undergarments; mine my shorts and tank top and his a plain shirt with his pant legs rolled up.

"I don't think…" he starts, but I silence him with a glare.

"Come on, it'll be fun," I say, giving him a grin before jumping off the ridge to Julia's whoop and Sabrina's gasp.

I hear the wind rushing through my ears and Will's shout before I plunge into the water. As I come to the surface, I float and look up to see Will has sunk to his knees and is clutching at the rock while Julia laughs and Sabrina breathes in relief.

"Hurry up, Prince Scaredy-Cat!" I shout up at him, waving with an arm as I tread water. Will continues to hesitate before disappearing. I'm disappointed for a minute before he comes rushing back, leaping off the cliff even further than I did.

I shriek with laughter when he hits the water, splashing me with his landing. As he pops up to the surface, he grins at me, his blonde hair longer than usual now that it's wet.

"Now, was that so hard?" I tease, and he grins bashfully.

"Not really," he says, and I gin back before jumping out of the water and leaping on him, ducking him underneath before swimming away as fast as I can.

xxxXXXxxxXXXxxxXXXxxx

The four of us had a fun day, spending it swimming and then later on drying in the sun and talking about our favorite things to do.

When we get back and we go our separate ways, I'm actually truly happy in a way I haven't been for a long time. As I settle into bed, I pull the covers up to my chin and snuggle down, I give a small satisfied sigh before lapsing into sleep instantly, my body worn out from my exhausting day.

xxxxXXXxxxXXXxxxXXXxxx

_I'm back in the white room again, and I can hear sobbing echoing around it._

_Voices murmur over and over words that I can't understand, an angry, growing buzzing sound starting to irritate me and frighten me as I huddle close to the corner and try to block out the sounds._

"_Her fault-"_

"_What was she thinking-"_

"_Dead. He's dead."_

_And then, the worst voice of all, a high pitched wail starts up. The agony is piercing. Whoever it is, they are truly in pain, in a way that I can't possibly comprehend. And then it speaks to me; screaming and terrifying me._

"_GIVE ME BACK MY SON. GIVE HIM BACK."_

_The room goes black and a pair of white hands come out of the darkness at me to pick me up, strangling me, choking me as I kick out frantically._

_It hurts…It hurts so much…._

xxxxXXXXxxxxXXXXxxxxXXXX

I wake up gasping and once again covered in cold sweat. My neck hurts, like I was actually being strangled and I shiver and put my hands up to it, massaging myself.

"Just a dream…just a dream…" I mutter before lying down and praying desperately it won't happen again.

* * *

**It's been awhile, hasn't it dears? Oh well XD I hope you liked the four chapters I put up :) I'll try and put up more soon!**

**Leave any thoughts and again, thanks for reading! :D**


	15. Chapter 15

**Has it been awhile? It feels like it's been awhile for me XD Maybe it's all the weird work hours I've been getting lately. Ah well. 'tis the life of a student XD Anyways, do enjoy and let me know how the story's working for everyone so far. I've been thinking of possibly creating a sequel for Two Towns and A Lilly entitling it "Life, After" but not unless I decide this story's just dead and to give up on it XD I can't have TOO many projects at once, otherwise I mix them up.**

Anyways, read and review duckies! 

* * *

_~Vaughn~_

I'm surprised that she's not waiting for me on the beach when I get back. Somehow, I don't know whether or not this is a good thing.

Last time, she was all smiles and "let's go" when I first stepped off the boat. This time, no one greets me but the summer breeze.

I don't think too much about it though, shrugging it off and heading towards Mirabelle's.

I'm nearly there when someone all but attacks me, running into me at full speed. As I feel her tiny arms wrap themselves around my waist, I look down scornfully.

"What," I say to the grinning girl who just looks up at me and blinks her blue eyes, "Do you think you're doing?"

She just squeezes me tight and then lets go, a small satisfied smirk on her face.

"Thought I'd steal a hug…and thought I'd steal this!" With her last words, she leaps up and grabs my hat before running off, laughing like some kind of escaped mental person. I turn bright red as she turns around and puts it on her own head, sticking her tongue out at me mockingly before running across the bridge and out of sight.

"I'm going to KILL her," I mutter under my breath, wishing I had something to cover my face as I walk towards Mirabelle's.

xxxXXXxxxXXXxxx

After enduring Mirabelle's and Felicia's laughter at my lost hat (apparently both of them were watching from the window, snoops that they are) Mirabelle dismisses me to go do what I like once I've fed the cattle. I do my job quickly before rushing out the shop and hoping I don't run into anyone else along the way.

But of course, I do. Luckily, the person I run into is Julia, the one person on this island who might be able to tell me exactly where Chelsea went. She looks surprised that I don't have my hat, before a smirk comes over her face and she looks at me knowingly, putting her hands on her hips.

"Chelsea?" she questions, and I grimace as I can' t help the small blush that comes across my cheeks.

"Chelsea," I agree with a gruff voice, and she giggles then points towards the boat.

"Ask Kirk, she probably got your hat to lure you into meeting her on another one of the islands," Julia says, and I nod in thanks and head towards the boat owner.

When I get there it's like he already knows what I want, because the man tells me to get on and starts up the ferry. While I wonder how he knows, he chuckles.

"Chelsea said you'd be coming by, wantin' to go where I took her," he explains. I resist the urge to cross my arms angrily and ask him why he even let her escape with my hat. I stare out into the distance, hoping we get wherever we're going soon.

xxxXXXxxxXXXxxxXXXxxx

Mushroom Island? This place is seriously called MUSHROOM Island? I mean, there are giant mushrooms so it kind of makes sense, but what about this jungle? All these trees aren't mushrooms.

While I ponder this, I walk through the undergrowth, wondering where she could possibly be. I'm about to start calling out her name when I hear a giggle above me. Before I can look up, Chelsea falls from the tree to dangle in front of me on a vine. If I hadn't heard that giggle and she'd just shown up like that I probably would've flinched at such a sudden appearance, but as it is I just glare at her and hold out my hand.

"Hat," I say, and she shakes her head and drops to the jungle floor, getting ready to run away from me again. I'm not going to let her get away this time though.

"Oh no you don't," I growl before charging after her, which causes her to shriek as she speeds up her pace. I catch up to her quickly and grab her, trying to get my hat back but she just hisses at me (she actually hisses at me like some kind of cat) and tries to fight me off.

My patience wearing thin, I slam her into a tree and hold her there, pressing my body against hers while I wrap one arm around her and use my other arm to grab the hat and put it back on my head where it belongs. I'm so preoccupied with setting my hat back the right way that I forget the fact that I'm basically pinning her to the tree. I'm reminded of the situation when she starts to talk.

"Vaughn," she breathes, and I look down and see her face has a light pink color to is, and she's panting for breath. When I slammed her to the tree, her sleeve caught and her vest fell a bit, so her tank top is all but falling off on one side, and as I stare down I realize just how vulnerable she looks.

I blush furiously and let go, nearly biting my tongue off as I try to stutter out an apology while frantically pulling my hat down to cover my face.

Suddenly, she giggles.

When I look up I see that she's replaced her clothes and is grinning at me, her hands on her hips while she wags her eyebrows at me.

"Well? Aren't you going to apologize?" she teases me, and while I stand there, dumbfounded, she walks up close and pokes me before shrieking as I go to attack her again.

"Chelsea," I growl, and she laughs, running after me before suddenly disappearing into the earth.

I run up carefully to where she disappeared and find myself staring down into a deep hole, where she sits at the bottom nursing her ankle. Looking up, she sees me and I can tell she's on the verge of tears as she cries up at me.

"Vaughn," she whines, holding up her arms towards me, "Help meeeeeee!"


	16. Chapter 16

_~Chelsea~_

I'm surprised when his face disappears from the top of the hole, and I whimper again, feeling utterly pathetic. How did I miss this hole in the ground? Seriously?

I curse under my breath, remembering the native I met the other day who called himself Shea. It must be one of his animal traps…and I was just smart enough to run into it.

Great.

Vaughn will never let me live this down, and neither will Julia once she finds out. While I mutter under my breath a rope comes tumbling down, nearly startling me and causing me to shriek. I stare at the rope, not understanding until Vaughn calls down to me in an irritated voice, "Tie it around your waist and hold on."

Once I have the rope on securely, Vaughn yells, "Okay, don't move." When I leave the ground, dangling from the rope, I give a small gasp. Just how strong is he anyways? I KNOW that I'm not as curvy as Julia, but I'm not entirely a stick.

When I get to the top, I see Vaughn's face of concentration and blush as he comes nearer.

xxxXXXxxxXXXxxxXXXxxx

"Chelsea?"

"….yeah, Vaughn?"

"I'm going to kill you later. Remember that."

I glance up meekly at the blushing cowboy, watching as he glares furiously at all the townspeople who stare while he carries me in his arms towards Mirabelle's.

When we get there, he all but kicks open the door. Julia and Mirabelle both straighten up and look at us before freaking out.

"What happened?" Mirabelle asks, while Julia runs out to the inn to tell call for a doctor, no doubt. Vaughn just ignores her and marches up the stairs, still holding me securely in his arms.

He takes me to his room and sets me down gently on the bed before disappearing through the door again. I hear a murmuring from downstairs, and I assume that he's telling Mirabelle what happened. When he comes back, he has a wet washcloth and a bag of ice in his hands.

"This will sting," he says, kneeling by the edge of the bed to clean the torn skin on my ankle. I clench my teeth at the pain but hold still as he gets up and hangs the cloth in his sink. When he returns, he sits on the edge of the bed and puts my foot in his lap, holding the ice pack to it.

"You're an idiot, you know that?" he growls, but I can see that for all his bravado he was worried about me.

Will appears in the door suddenly, and I watch as Vaughn looks him up and down contemptuously.

"CHELSEA WHAT HAPPENED!" Will squeals, before rushing over to kneel by the headrest and take my hand.

I pull my hand free from his and wave it at him and at Sabrina, who just appeared meekly in the doorway.

"I'm fine, I'm fine," I say, not wanting to worry them. Vaughn snorts, and I glare at him.

"Yeah, she's fine…she's just suffering from a case of extreme stupidity, that's all," he says, and Sabrina's eyes widen while Will's cheeks turn red with an angry blush.

"You shouldn't talk to girls like that!" he says, getting up to glare at Vaughn even though he hasn't even met the guy. When Vaughn shoots him one of his trademark cold looks, Will flinches but doesn't look away.

The tension between the two is something that I just can't understand, and I'm about to try and break it up when Julia comes to stand in the doorway, putting an arm around Sabrina.

"Doctor Trent is on his way."

xxxXXXxxxXXXxxxXXXxxx

It's late when the doctor finally shows up. Sabrina and Will have both left to help out with the inn, and Julia and Mirabelle disappeared to take care of my farm, so Vaughn's the only witness to what happens.

When I first see the doctor standing in the doorway, I freeze. I'm not sure why, but he looks incredibly familiar.

Vaughn gets up and greets him before turning to point at me and going to sit on the other side of the bed, near the headrest.

The doctor sets his tools down and straightens his coat before running his fingers delicately over my ankle.

I shiver at his touch.

As the doctor begins to wrap my ankle in bandages, I clench the sheets of Vaughn's bed tightly. Noticing this, the cowboy looks at me in a puzzled way. He knows I'm agitated, but can't figure out why. I close my eyes.

I'm all but ready to cry when I feel the beginnings of warmth on my hand. When I open my eyes, I look down and see my hand's disappeared into his, the black gloves he usually wears gone. His touch is comforting, and I look up at him, surprised at his action.

He's not looking at me, but his face is extremely red as he avoids my searching gaze.

The doctor doesn't like the silence, and accordingly so begins to make conversation.

"I never introduced myself," He says amiably. "My name is Trent, but you can call me Doctor. What are your names?"

Vaughn grunts out his name before falling silent, and I gulp before saying, "Chelsea."

Hearing my name, the doctor frown a bit and begins muttering to himself.

"Where have I heard that name before?" he says, and I suddenly remember how I know this man.

Out of reflex, I clutch Vaughn's hand tightly. He jumps at the sudden pressure and looks at me, worry written all over his face.

"Chelsea?" He asks, and I know that by now my face is pale, and I probably look like death.

"It's nothing," I whisper to him, as the doctor finishes up tending to my ankle.


	17. Chapter 17

**I really tried to hold back on the fluff you guys...I really did XD Well, here's to hoping you enjoy it anyways!**

* * *

_~Vaughn~_

She knows the doctor. I'm sure of it…and I'm also sure it has something to do with her past. Why else would she be so scared?

When the doctor finishes, he stands up and nods at her politely before signaling that I walk him to the door.

"Her ankle is twisted, so give her at least a week's rest in bed. She's not to get up during that time." Trent says, getting ready to leave when I put my hand on his shoulder and stop him.

"How do you know Chelsea?" I ask, and the doctor frowns.

"I don't know HER…at least I don't think I do. Her name is just very similar to the name of the little girl that belonged to a friend of mine...actually maybe it's the same…."

"Belonged?" I say. There's got to be some reason he said 'belonged' as opposed to 'belongs'.

The doctor nods thoughtfully.

"Now that I think of it, she looks similar too. Blue eyes, brown hair…although those are common enough colors I suppose. Anyways, the girl I'm speaking of ran away from home years ago, when she was about seven or eight. Her mother, Claire, was devastated. I felt terrible about the fact that the little girl…I think her name was Clara? No, maybe it WAS actually Chelsea, now that I think about it…anyways. Everyone blamed the poor kid for what happened…and my own wife…" here the doctor falls silent.

Abruptly, he grips his coat tighter and bids me goodnight before walking away, not giving me a chance to question anymore.

It's time to get some information.

xxxXXXxxxXXXxxxXXXxxx

When I come back upstairs, Chelsea's still staring blankly at the sheets, her face just as white as it was when I left her.

I sit down next to her and gently touch her shoulder, shaking her lightly until she looks at me.

"Chelsea," I say gently. "How do you know him?"

She pales even more but looks down and whispers, "I don't know him."

That's a lie. It's such an obvious one too, and she knows it.

"I know something happened. Tell me what it was, Chelsea. You can trust me."

I'm not prepared for what happens next, but it happens anyways; she bursts into tears. As she cries, she tries to cover her mouth and rubs furiously at her eyes. Normally I'd remove myself from the room in this kind of situation and let the person cry in peace. However, I feel like if I leave now she'll be even more alone than ever.

Cautiously, I lean forward and put my arms around her. Her whole body is shaking, tiny thing that she is, and she doesn't seem to notice how awkward or stiff my actions are as she leans into my chest, her tears soaking through my vest to my shirt.

We sit like that for half an hour before she falls asleep, exhausted from her crying.

xxxXXXxxxXXXxxxXXXxxx

I'm the one who ends up carrying her home. Mirabelle also tells me that my job for the next day will be to take care of Chelsea and her farm.

Fun.

I get lucky and her door isn't locked. As I walk into the little house, I set her down gently on the bed before straightening up to look at her expression.

Most people look so peaceful when the sleep, but not Chelsea. Her mouth is closed in a thin, hard line, and she curls her body up like she's trying to protect herself from something, or someone.

She looks so frightened. What happened to this girl?

Whatever it is, I want to know. And I don't know why, but I want to make things right. No girl should have to sleep with such a painful expression on her face; especially someone like Chelsea. As brunt and mean as she can be at times, she doesn't deserve that at all.

While she sleeps, I look down at her before slowly and hesitantly leaning down to whisper in her ear, "It'll be okay, Chelsea."

Then I kiss her on the forehead before realizing what I've done. As my face turns completely red, she mumbles in her sleep and rolls over. Quickly, I back towards the door and take off, before she wakes up and sees me standing over her bed with a red face like some sort of creepy stalker.

What's wrong with me?


	18. Chapter 18

_~Chelsea~_

I wake to the sound of banging pots and pans in my kitchen. As I rub the sleep from my eyes, I can see a tall, blurry figure in all black standing there.

When I realize it's Vaughn, I wake up completely and stare as he comes over and hands me a bowl of porridge.

"Eat," he orders, and silently I stare at the food before he rolls his eyes. He digs in and takes a few bites before looking at me.

"I didn't poison it you know," he says sarcastically. I grin, but lightly poke at the food before my stomach rumbles in an embaressing manner. Vaughn smirks at me, knowing that I can't be too choosy, especially in this state.

With a sigh, I take a bite before realizing how good it is. As I scarf down the food, Vaughn chuckles (he laughed? What?!) and watches me, seeming pleased that someone else likes his cooking.

"I'm not Pierre, but I think I can cook for myself and another person just fine, don't you think?" he says, and I nod before sitting back against the pillows he's propped up for me.

I hold out my bowl and he takes it hesitantly before looking at me and saying, "Are you going to tell me anything, Chelsea?"

He can't be serious. But as I look into his eyes, I know that he is, and I cringe before looking down.

"There's nothing to tell," I lie, but then I hear a clunk as he sets the bowls down on the floor and takes both my hands in his.

"Liar."

xxxXXXxxxXXXxxxXXXxxxXXX

"My name really IS Chelsea, if that's what you're wondering," I start off, not even sure why or how he's convinced me to share what I'm about to tell him. He gives me a look and I clear my throat before starting again.

"I grew up in Mineral Town. I was one of four kids that the town had…me, the two older kids May and Stu, and my friend James who was the same age as me. James was Doctor Trent's son…and we were best friends. We were seven when it happened.

We were playing when we shouldn't have. I'd convinced him to ditch his piano lesson with Mary at the church, and the two of us were playing in the forest near my parent's farm. We were climbing trees when he had an epileptic fit.

Of course I didn' t know it at the time…I didn' t know what it was until about a year later after all was said and done. But he died that day…he died right in front of me.

All the adults blamed me. They never said a word to my face, but in the room that I was made to sit in while they gathered around his coffin at the wake I could hear every whisper, every mutter about how James had been such a good kid and how everything would have been fine if I hadn't told him to play with me.

It was my fault.

And Doctor's wife….she cried so much. She cried so much her heart broke, and she seemed to become another person. She rushed into the room and grabbed me by the throat, screaming for me to 'give him back', for me to give back her son.

I got lucky; the doctor pulled her off me and held her while she sobbed, and my mother hugged me close while my father stood in front of us protectively. A year passed…and the whole town still blamed me. Their blame stressed both my parents out…so I finally decided to leave. I decided that if I left, my parents would have a better life without me, and that I could leave behind the fact that I killed someone."

xxxXXXxxxXXXxxxXXXxxx

Vaughn sits silently as I finish my story. I'm surprised my voice didn't break on the last words, but then the tears start to flow silently down my cheeks and I hold an arm up to cover my face, embaressed to be crying again in front of the same person for the second time in the last twenty-four hours.

There's a blur of black before I find that Vaughn's hugging me, and hugging me tightly at that. Holding me close, he whispers in my ear, "It's not your fault. I'm so sorry, Chelsea. But it wasn't your fault."

We sit like that before he pulls back and looks away from me, blushing as much as I am. Quietly, he runs his fingers across my cheek, wiping away my tears and I find myself unable to tear my gaze away from the normally stoic, cold cowboy.

"I should probably tell you…about my past too then…" he starts, but he gets no further as my door is slammed open by Will.

"I came to visit!" my friend sings, before he notices that Vaughn is sitting by my bedside.

"What's he doing here?" Will pouts, glaring at him. Vaughn only pulls his hat down and stands up abruptly.

"I was just leaving," he spats at Will, who glowers back and makes way for Vaughn to leave. I don't want him to leave though…if anything I wish WILL was leaving. But I can't say that. Instead, I call out to the retreating figure.

"Come see me first thing next week!" I say, and he pauses in the doorway before nodding and speeding away.

* * *

**Too dramatic? No? Yes? It sounds so much scarier in my head...maybe cause I thought about how scary it would be to think your friend died because of you and then like not two seconds after see this pair of white hands just come rushing at you and suddenly you're getting choked...  
Well, maybe it's a bit dramatic XD Anyways, thanks for reading and thanks for leaving thoughts! **


	19. Chapter 19

**Okay, warnings now: I did not write this chapter with the intent to have Cheryl bashed. Poor girl gets bashed enough as it is by all the Ash and Lillian fans. But I seriously needed something dramaticish to happen...and she was perfect for it...so, I'm sorry Cheryl!**

That, and if you're wondering, Cheryl's not that much older than Vaughn, and Vaughn's not that much older than Chelsea. 

**Alright, well read and review and please no hating!**

* * *

_~Vaughn~_

When Chelsea finally started talking to me, I didn't want to breathe, afraid that if she had any interruptions at all she's stop.

How very…sad. Her past was just so terribly devastating.

To be blamed for such a thing at a young age is never a good thing, and to be nearly killed for it…that's even worse. I would have to say that what she went through is ten times worse than what I did.

My story isn't as sad as I thought it was after all.

Chelsea's stronger than I am though, despite having a worse past. She can still communicate effectively with others; she's happy, and bright and lively. Nothing like me.

So why do I find myself more and more attracted to this girl?

xxxXXXxxxXXXxxxXXXxxx

When I get to the empty house again, I give a sigh before pulling out a chair from the table. Sinking into it, I set my head down on my arms and groan into them, muffling the sound. When a giggle sounds, my head shoots up to see the figure that's leaning in my doorway.

The girl who leans against the doorframe smirks at me, her golden hair down as opposed to the two pigtails she usually wears it in. As I watch, she straightens up and says in a low voice, "I finally caught you at home, Vaughn."

I roll my eyes.

"What do YOU want," I growl as she smiles and steps in, shutting the door behind her. As she slinks over to me, she begins shedding clothing items randomly, slowly pulling at a ribbon on her blouse before it falls to the ground, along with her skirt.

Soon she stands before me in nothing but a lacy black bra and matching panties. Leaning forward, she pokes my nose gently and says playfully, "_You know exactly what I want."_

I sigh and look away with a bored expression.

"Is that a new one?" I ask, pointing at her underwear. She giggles and hops up on the table, showing off her long legs.

"Aw, you noticed!" she says, and I roll my eyes again.

"Of course I notice. You come in here nearly every time I'm in town and try this. Give it UP, Cheryl."

She pouts and crosses her arms at me.

"It's because I'm older, isn't it?" she demands, and I glare at her.

"You're only five years old than me. Besides, that's not why and you know it," I snap at her. She ignores my manner and leans forward to run her finger from the base of my neck to my chin, bringing my face up to hers so that we're so close, our noses are touching.

"If you're worried about Ash, don't be. He couldn't care less about me, now that he's got his own farm to take care of along with…Laney…" the way she hisses out her sister-in-law's name has me wanting to cringe. She hasn't changed a bit.

Cheryl clearly can't take a hint though as she leans forward, running her tongue over her lip while she stares at me.

"I might even get you to smile…and you wouldn't be so uptight anymore either," she whispers.

I lean back. For all her seductiveness and all her antics, she can't make me blush the way that Chelsea can, and at this point I don't even know how much I LIKE Chelsea like that. All I know is that suddenly I find her really cute.

When Cheryl sees that I'm not interested, she sits up and pouts.

"What a goody-two shoes. You were always like this, even when we were kids," she complains. "You never played with me, or Rahi or Ying, or even Nori's son. You were always alone."

I tense, and her eyes widen as she realizes what she said. Her hands fly to her mouth and she looks at me apologetically.

"Goddess, Vaughn, I'm so sorry! I didn't mean…"

I cough and stare at the table.

"I know."

She looks at me sadly before getting off the table and stretching her body right in front of me.

Heading for the door, she picks up her clothes and puts them all back on slowly, taking glances at me every now and then like she's hoping I'll stop her. When I don't, she sighs before walking towards the door. Right before she leaves, she pauses in the door way.

"I'll see you again, cowboy. If you're ever back in town and I don't come around to visit but you finally want to become a man…well, you know where to find me."

xxxXXXXxxxxXXXXxxxXXXXxxx

What a pain. Either way, I'm glad she's finally gone.

This isn't the first time she's done this, and each time she goes the extra mile. I'm half afraid that next time I'll walk in on her lounging on my bed with no clothes on. It's something she would do.

Still, I can't help but feel sorry for her. Cheryl probably felt left out and forgotten when we all grew up; Rahi ended up with Ying and our other friend, Kaito, headed for the city as soon as he could, never to return. It's no surprise she's like this, although I wish she didn't choose ME to be her victim.

I've no intention of being with her like that, ever. She doesn't seem to get that though, and I groan at the thought that she'll definitely be back next week to try and pounce on me again.

Glancing over at the picture frame, I get up and walk over to the bed, sitting down and taking it again to speak to it.

It's almost like my father is eyeing me sternly from the picture, so I speak to him first.

"Don't worry, Dad. I know what you taught me, and besides that I just don't really like her like that. We've always been friends but I never really had any desire to go after her in that way.

I've kind of…I don't really know what it is, to be honest, but there's someone else who's far more interesting to me than Cheryl. She's a pain in the rear…a really CUTE pain in the rear…"

I blush as I admit what I've been trying to deny since I first really started talking to Chelsea. She's cute. She's really, really cute. I don't even know if I like her like that, but I definitely can't help but find her weird expressions and her constant need to bother me kind of adorable.

Resisting the urge to deny it yet again, I grunt and look down where my mom smiles up at me knowingly. I can hear her voice in my head right now, encouraging me and telling me that it's okay to admit how I feel about things.

"It's…it's not a crush okay?" I mutter down at the picture frame, before sighing and taking my clothes off.

I slip under the covers in just my shorts and fall asleep quickly, hoping that when I wake up I can pretend that I didn't just admit to anything.


	20. Chapter 20

_~Chelsea~_

I love Will, really I do, but when he interrupted Vaughn I could have punched his lights out for it. I was so close! So close to finding out what he's hiding!

It's been about three days since my whole breakdown/confession, and I'm half anxious just thinking about what Vaughn probably thinks of me now. At the same time, I blush every time I remember how touchy-feely he's been lately.

Not that it really bothers me all that much.

Since the doctor said about a week's rest, I figure that now would be a good time to start experimenting on my ankle. Unfortunatly, three days is still a bit of a stretch, as I find out when I only get two steps away from my bed before wobbling and crashing to the floor noisily.

"Well, crap," I mutter, pushing myself up with my arms and looking at my bed. With a sigh, I being trying to crawl back on when the door flies open and I look up to see Julia standing in my doorway with a disapproving look on her face.

"I heard that," she admonishes me, but when she sees that I'm half on the bed and half on the ground, her stern expression disappears in a fit of giggles.

"Seriously, Chels?" Laughing, she nearly drops the basket she had in her hands as she watches me pout and climb back up into my bed.

"Oh, shut up," I growl, and she quickly covers her snickers before walking over to my bed and leaning on the bedpost.

With the look she's giving me, she doesn't even need to vocalize her question.

"We didn't do anything, if that's what you're wondering," I say, watching as her hopeful expression falls. "He just carried me back and we talked the way we always do."

Julia shrugs then says, "What about Will then?"

I give her a look.

"What about Will?" I wonder, and she rolls her eyes before shrugging again and turning around.

"Nothing. If you don't know anything, I'm not gonna say a word."

"Wait, Julia-!"

My friend just turns to grin at me before winking. While I stare, confused, she just keeps smiling at me impishly.

"Judging by the way you're already trying to get out of bed, I take it you're bored and feel confined, so you'll have fun today when Will and Sabrina stop by." Before I can question her, she's gone, shutting the door firmly behind her.

xxxXXXxxxXXXxxxXXXxxxXXXxxx

"You made this?" I ask in wonder, touching the present that Will brought for me. It's a wheelchair, sleek and smooth and brand new looking. Sabrina smiles while Will looks at the chair proudly.

"Well, no," he admits, "but I found all the pieces for it and had Gannon make it. It's all carved wood, so it's natural. I figured you wouldn't like it if I ordered you a shiny new one for your twisted ankle."

I snicker and say, "You figured right. But thank you." Will blushes as I smile at him and he coughs into his hand before Sabrina looks at him meaningfully.

"Will," she says, "Help her into the chair."

Will blushes even more at the thought that he'll actually have to hold me, but he obliges and comes closer to the bed, kneeling by it.

"C-come here," he stutters out, barely able to look at me in his embaressment. How funny, that he's so unused to this kind of contact that even the thought of it has him blushing!

Sliding over to the edge of the bed, I reach out and put one arm around his shoulders, feeling him stiffen at my touch. I giggle as I put my other arm around him and swing my feet off the bed so that I'm sitting up.

"Now carry me," I order imperiously, and his face turns even more red before he gently picks me up and deposits me in the chair as fast as he can. I make myself comfortable before turning my head to look at him again, and he gets the hint and puts his hands on the handle, pushing me towards the door where Sabrina leads the way towards the town.

xxxXXXxxxXXXxxxXXXxxxXXXxxx

We're sitting at the café, enjoying a meal that Will has insisted on treating us to. He also invited Julia, but she declined as it seemed that Elliot was going to be helping out in the animal shop today. My friend gave me a look and a blush when I stuck my tongue out at her after learning the news, and I smile to myself just knowing that she'll come running over to my place tonight to tell me everything that happened.

Sabrina's brought her work along with her, so she's busy scribbling in her book while Will is eating the food, fascinated at how good it tastes. Neither one of them notice as I slowly wheel backwards and make my way out the door.

Once I'm outside, I take a deep breath before looking back and forth quickly. As good of friends I am with Will and Sabrina, I want to be outside today and neither of them would understand that as today's so gloomy that it's almost depressing.

I can't stand being inside for too long right now, not after having spent two days straight in a bed staring at the paint chipping on my wall in agony. Not being able to get up and fix it was probably the worst thing about that whole situation.

I'm wheeling along, unsure of what to do when I run right over Pierre's foot. The chef yelps and falls down while I back up and begin to apologize profusely. Pierre looks up at me with tears in the corner of his eyes.

"Do you hate me that much for not choosing you as the winner of the cooking contest?" he cries, and my heart twists a little at his expression.

Pierre looks too much like an adorable little brother to me; the fact that I just ran over him has me feeling so guilty I want to hug him and apologize even more.

"Pierre, it's not that! I just got this today, I'm sorry I'm so clumsy!" I cry, before clapping my hands together and holding them in front of me while I bow my head at him. "Really, I'm sorry!"

My profound apology seems to cheer him up immediately, and he bounces up with a smile on his face like nothing at all happened.

"It's okay," he says cheerfully, while I make a note in the back of my mind to make sure I never tell him how adorable I find him. He already complains to me about being thought of as a child; there's no way I want him finding out that I feel the same way.

He seems to just notice that I'm in a wheelchair, and he leaps back and points at it with a gasp.

"What happened?" He asks, freaking out while I roll my eyes.

"Did you just notice? I fell down and twisted my ankle, that's all. I've been in my house for the last two days, so I want to stay outside today which is why I just snuck away from Will and Sabrina…who'll probably come looking for me soon if I don't run so…"

I'm about to wheel off as fast as I can when Pierre gives me a bright smile.

"Let's go to Mushroom Island! I've been wanting to hunt for mushrooms but I don't want to go by myself," he admits, playing with his hands as he pouts. I smile at him then nod.

"Alright then, let's go!"

Happily, he grabs the handles (he can barely see over me! How cute!) and wheels me towards the boat while I pray that no one will see us and stop us.

* * *

**Pierre is my little brother character... :3 I always wanted a brother, which is why there will nearly always be a brother character XD  
Anyways, I hope you enjoyed it and I'll update again when I can! **


	21. Chapter 21

**I feel like I put up chapters a lot more frequently than I think I do XD oh well, not a bad thing. So here is another chapter! Do enjoy :) **

* * *

_~Vaughn~_

Just when I think I can relax because Chelsea's supposed to be confined to her house for a whole week, I get a phone call from a frantic Julia.

As soon as she breathes out everything, I slam the phone down and sigh.

Then I throw my covers off angrily and start getting ready to head for the boat towards the islands.

Chelsea's missing.

xxxXXXxxxXXXXxxxXXXxxx

I don't think I've ever seen Julia sobbing this much, or that Natalie girl looking this worried. So far, only a few people know about her disappearance because it just happened this morning. Sabrina has her head in her hands, and Will looks like he's ready to kill himself.

Personally, I'm ready to kill him. I know he was just trying to make Chelsea happy by letting her have some way of getting around, but did he really have to give her a means of escape?

When I find Chelsea, I'm going to kill her too. She loves to make other people worry, I swear it's like a hobby of hers.

It seems that Sabrina and Will looked away for all of one second before Chelsea disappeared, wheelchair and all. No one knows where they are, although the ferry for the islands is missing so we can only assume that she's on a different island. I'm beyond angry at her for doing this, but a small part of me is comforted in the fact that we know she's not alone.

She's got Pierre with her, although I doubt he'll be much help. He'd be like an appetizer, he's so small that even by sacrificing himself to save her he wouldn't do much good. And he's an idiot too, for even taking her off the main island in her current state.

If I don't calm down, I'm going to murder everyone in this entire stupid town.

I'm all but ready to throw a fit when I feel a small hand on my arm. It's Sabrina. For a second I note how tiny she is; she's even tinier than Chelsea, and her timid personality only seems to magnify how small she is.

Then I wonder what she's doing, touching me so casually when we barely know each other.

I look at her confused until she glances up and gives me a look that I swear I can read. I know exactly what she's telling me; that if I don't calm down soon things will only seem worse.

And she's right.

Slowly, I take a deep breath and sigh, pinching the bridge of my nose.

"It'll be okay," I say flatly, and Julia looks up at me, while Natalie narrows her eyes. I continue, resisting the urge to cringe as I realize everyone in the room is listening to me and that I'm the center of attention. "She's with someone else, and they'll probably be back by this afternoon."

Julia nods slowly while Natalie crosses her arms and sinks to the floor. Sabrina looks relieved, but Will is still looking at me as I glare at him.

"You," I say, walking over to him. "Come with me."

xxxXXXxxxXXXxxxXXXxxxXXXxxx

"What were you THINKING? You live on this damn island more than I do, and you spend more time with her than I do, didn't you know she'd run off?" I yell at the prince, who clenches his fists and glares at me.

"I didn't think she would just take off without telling me!" He counter back, and I roll my eyes trying to keep my cool and not strangle him.

"Are you stupid? This is CHELSEA we're talking about; of course she'd just take off, especially if she was with you and your cousin. She knows how much of a worrywart you are and how overprotective you are and she probably wanted to escape from that so she left."

Will growls back at me, "She likes my overprotectiveness, for your information. She thinks it's charming."

He can't be serious right now. In what universe would CHELSEA think that his weird sense of chivalry is charming? I'm sure that to an extent she does, but she's not the type to drool all over someone just because they think they have to help her; if anything she's the type that would push them out of the way and mock them for not doing it right. Then she'd show off that she can do so much better on her own.

That's the Chelsea I know. Unless she's been changing how she acts around him (which I doubt) he's delusional.

Will just crosses his arms and looks away.

"I don't even know her that well..." he says, suddenly looking rather sad.

I'm confused, but I hide it behind my usual cold mask. "What do you mean? You talk to her all the time and hang out with her everyday, how can you not know her?"

The prince looks me in the eye, and I stare back, seeing envy and hatred in his look as he says, "But she talks to you about what matters the most, doesn't she? She treats you differently, like you're special to her.

And I hate you because of that."


	22. Chapter 22

**And here, my dear readers, are two more chapters for you to feast upon :) Read and review! 3**

* * *

_~Chelsea~_

A chill runs down my back and I sneeze. Pierre looks at me worriedly and squeals, "You're not sick, are you?"

I glare out at the pouring rain and mutter, "No…I think someone's talking about me…" When I sneeze again, Pierre looks even more worried and then slowly starts to edge away from me.

"I'm gonna go get help," he says, not sure whether leaving me is the best idea right now yet wanting to go get help since he thinks I'm sick and he can't move my chair, as the wheels are stuck in the now soggy ground. I want to wave him off and tell him traveling in a storm like this probably isn't a good idea when a particularly loud thunderclap sounds nearby and both of us squeak.

I clutch the sides of my wheelchair and then close my eyes before looking at the small, trembling cook.

"Be quick, okay?" I demand, and he nods furiously before running off towards the boat.

Neither one of us was expecting to stay on the island for as long as we did, but we were having so much fun mushroom hunting that neither one of us noticed how late it was getting, nor how dark the sky was as clouds began to roll in. When it finally started to rain, Pierre wheeled me to the cover of the jungle and we watched the rain miserably from under the trees.

Things would've been fine, if he wasn't as terrified of thunder as I am.

As the rumbles grow louder, I start to regret letting him go back without me.

xxxXXXxxxXXXxxxXXXxxx

Hours pass and I shiver miserably, wanting to cry as the storm continues to rage. The thunder has me shaking, but bravely I sit up and watch the lightning that's striking on the open field.

Pierre, little traitor that he is, hasn't come back and is probably safe and sound at home, hiding under the covers of his bed.

If the storm is this bad too, there's no way that the boat will be back with anyone…Kirk wouldn't take the boat out in this kind of weather, he's far too old to be roughing it with the wind and surf now.

I'm beginning to get really worried when a figure appears before me. My scream of terror is cut short when a hand is held over my mouth and I find myself staring into a pair of deep brown eyes.

"Chelsea?" the voice grunts, and I recognize Shea standing before me. I nod, and the wild man looks out at the rain, before looking at me in my helpless state.

"Come," he says, "Shea take care of you."

Before I can question him or even thank him, he picks me up easily with one arm and swings me over his shoulder like a feed sack. If I wasn't so freaked out by the storm and cold and hungry, I'd be humiliated at this new turn of events.

We get back to the other side of the island where his tent is quickly, and he sets me down lightly and wraps a blanket around my shivering form before urging me to sit closer to the fire.

He's about to sit down himself when he straightens up and looks piercingly into at the entrance of his tent.

With a growl, he bends low and unsheathes his knife, preparing himself to attack as a figure stumbles in.

xxxXXXxxxXXXxxxXXXxxx

I find myself looking at Vaughn in surprise before the cowboy falls down to the ground in a faint. Shea quickly puts his knife away and grabs my friend's body, dragging him over to one of the blankets that he uses for sleeping. As he starts to strip him of his wet clothes, I blush and look away, really glad that I was dry when he found me.

As kind as Shea is, he still doesn't have a clue about normal culture, and accordingly so would have done the same to me if I was soaking wet. Even if he wouldn't have done anything vulgar to me, it would still have been majorly embarrassing.

Shea grunts and I risk a peek over before blushing as I stare full on at the unconscious Vaughn.

Luckily, Shea left his boxers on as they somehow managed to stay pretty dry, but other than that the cowboy's skin is exposed. He's muscular, and his cheeks have a light blush, no doubt a result of his body being heated from what looks to be a fever. The silvery hair seems to be white, the way the fire's shadows dance on his face, and Vaughn groans before turning over in his sleep.

Shea sees me watching him and notes the blush on my cheeks before walking over to me and touching my cheek gently.

"Sick? Cold?" he questions, and I shake my head furiously. He doesn't seem to believe me though, and he picks me up before carrying me over to where Vaughn is.

Setting me down on the blanket with Vaughn, he takes off my vest, shoes, and bandanna before nodding at the cowboy.

"Body heat," he urges. "Body heat help. Shea go find food now."

The wild man disappears, leaving me stuck next to a sleeping Vaughn. As I can't move, I can only look at the cowboy. I marvel at his sleeping face; I've never seen him so…_happy._ He looks for all the world like a small child who's content with his peaceful life, and the expression on Vaughn seems that much sweeter than any expression I've ever seen on his face before.

It's like he's a different person.

While I'm thinking this, he opens his eyes and groggily says, "Chel…sea? Gotta find…"

Quickly I shake his arm and say, "Vaughn! Vaughn it's okay! Shea found me and you came here and he's going to take care of us until the storm…"

I swallow my words as he closes his eyes again and murmurs, "Good. Found…you…was worried…" before rolling over and throwing an arm across me, pulling me to his bare chest.

While a blush heats up my cheeks, he starts to snore softly, obviously exhausted and delirious at that. There's no way Vaughn would be able to do something like this so casually if he was in his right state of mind; I mean, I remember the first time he really hugged me when I was crying after I saw the doctor again. It was like he didn' t know what to do, but now it's like he doesn't even care.

He's definitely got a fever.

But if this is how he is when he's sick, I don't mind it in the least. With a smile, I close my eyes and curl up closer to his chest, smiling in a pleased way when his other arm finds its way around me to pull me into his warmth.

"Good night, Vaughn."


	23. Chapter 23

_~Vaughn~_

It's Elliot who spots the boat in the distance. A storm had started while we'd been enlisting everyone on the islands to help us look for Chelsea and Pierre, and most of the elderly and the small children were already seeking shelter from the pelting rain.

When we saw the boat approaching, Julia sighs in relief and clutches onto Elliot's arm, for once not seeming to notice she's holding onto the object of her affections; normally she'd go pink by just being around him. Seeing how worried she was makes me think that maybe she's not as bad of a person as I thought she was before. The fact that she's more worried about Chelsea than anyone else clearly says that she really is friends with the farmer.

As the boat came in closer, we noticed that there we were only two figures on it, and as it docked in we found ourselves looking at Pierre and Kirk. Immediately it clicked, and I lost control of myself as I rushed at the small cook, grabbing him by the front of his ridiculous coat and holding him up.

"You left her there?" I growl, and he kicks frantically before saying tearfully, "I came back to get help! Her chair is stuck in the mud and I can't carry her plus she might be sick cause she was sneezing-!" His voice cuts off as I drop him roughly to the ground where he falls with a loud thud. Elliot's sister, Natalie, rushes to his aid while I step over him and look at Kirk.

"Which island," I say, knowing full well that Kirk won't take the boat out in this weather, as the storm's getting worse. Kirk hesitates, until I step even closer with a menacing look in my eyes.

"_Which island_," I repeat, and Kirk swallows before saying, "Mushroom Island."

I'm half grateful that she's on the island with Shea, since the two know each other and he might find her and take care of her. On the other hand, if Shea finds her and she's soaking he won't hesitate to strip her down, and I'm not about to let that happen.

Quickly, I turn on my heel and head for the fisherman's hut.

xxxXXXxxxXXXxxxXXXxxxXXXxxx

"I need to borrow your boat," I say to Denny. I'm lucky that he's one of the few people on this island who I can talk to casually and actually get along with. He's the only guy on this island who understands that sometimes companionship in silence is better than talking too much, which is why I'm surprised that he's interested in a girl as annoying as Lanna.

Denny looks at me and quietly says, "You're going to get Chelsea, aren't you?" When I say nothing in return, he just smiles at me and heads for the back door, nodding for me to follow. As soon as we get there, he pulls out a small boat. It looks like it's fairly decent, considering that Denny has just about as much money as Chelsea does, which is nearly none at all. I nod in thanks and haul it out to the ocean before getting aboard and heading towards Mushroom Island.

The storm's rougher than I thought, but I persist on even so that the boat's nearly overturned on me at least twice already. For some reason, the only thing that I can think about right now is Chelsea, and I keep getting the mental image of her either lying on the jungle ground unconscious or lying unconscious in Shea's tent while he lurks over her.

Both of these are not good images to be having.

Somehow I make it to land alive, pulling the boat up with what strength I have left as I struggle towards Shea's tent, deciding to look there first. If she's not there, then at the very least I can have the wild man help me find her.

I barely stumble into his tent before I pass out.

xxxXXXXxxxXXXXxxXXXXxxx

When I wake up, I'm considerably drier than I remember being before, but I can't seem to bring myself to really figure out where I am, nor can I really move. I croak out Chelsea's name and try to speak before I hear her voice next to me, insisting that she's okay.

My head is pounding, but something tells me that it really is her and that we're somewhere safe for now. Exhaustion overtakes me as I mumble something else and roll over in my sleep, coming into contact with something soft and warm.

It's not her, is it? It can't be…but if it is I can't be bothered to move away now. I'm too tired, and besides that she snuggles up to me and I can feel how cold her skin is as she presses into my chest. Quietly, I put my other arm around her in hopes that I'll warm her before I pass out again.

xxxXXXxxxXXXxxxXXXxxxXXXxxx

I wake up again to the sound of birds chirping. Opening my eyes, I take in my surroundings before realizing everything that happened yesterday.

Chelsea's missing. Why am I in Shea's tent, sleeping on the ground with-

I suddenly realize that I've got Chelsea cradled to my chest while she sleeps contentedly. For once, her sleeping face doesn't seem to look panicked or frantic at all. I stare down before remembering everything that happened, and I turn bright red and groan, looking away but keeping my arms around her anyways.

It's kind of nice, being like this with her.

I see food has been laid out for us and that the fire has a few embers still in it, which tells me that Shea is probably out hunting again. His rather crude picture that he's scratched in the dirt tells me that he wants me to take Chelsea back and take care of her, if the way the stick figures are glomped together are any indication.

With a sigh, I start to move out from under Chelsea when she wakes up.

She yawns and stretches before looking up at me with sleepy blue eyes, not seeming to realize where she is. Then she smiles, and closes her eyes saying happily, "Good morning, Vaughn!"

I blush furiously (why does she have to be so infuriatingly cute right now) and look away, covering my face with an arm.

"Good…good morning."

* * *

**Chelsea's going to KILL Vaughn when she finds out he nearly murdered Pierre XD Granted, Pierre probably didn't do the smartest thing but he was so scared he couldn't help it! Besides, not his fault he wasn't strong enough to carry her/move her XD**

Oh well. I do hope you enjoyed regardless, and look forward to more!


	24. Chapter 24

_~Chelsea~_

Aw, how cute. He's blushing.

As the events from last night all come clear, I smile up at him and then push myself off the red cowboy. Spotting the food, I happily sit up and dig in before holding up the other grilled fish.

"Come on, have some!" I insist, and quietly he takes the food and sits beside me. I'm happy to see that he still hasn't put any of his clothes back on yet.

We sit in silence until he finishes and gets up with a sigh. "Vaughn?" I ask, before he glares down on me and proceeds to give me the biggest lecture of my life, despite the fact that he's in nothing but his boxers.

If we were in any other situation, I'd probably feel ashamed, but as it is I can only stare at him while he blushes down at me and sternly tells me off.

"What were you thinking? Do you know how worried Julia and the others are? I can't believe you'd just leave like that and especially with someone as helpless as Pierre! Chelsea, you seriously had a lot of people worried, and if you weren't so damn important to me I'd probably kill you right now for worrying the hell out of me and-"

"I'm important to you?" I interrupt, watching as he turns even more red as he catches what he said in his rant.

"As a friend. You're a friend," he mutters before turning around and clumsily beginning to pull on his clothes.

This is kind of interesting and cute, to see how flustered he is about this. Leaning forward I look at him and say, "JUST a friend?"

He grunts, but I notice that he's put his pants on inside out, a sure sign that he's agitated about something. I smile and say, "Fix your pants," which causes him to look down and silently freak out before frantically fixing his pants properly.

Emotional Vaughn is seriously adorable. I somehow doubt that anyone's seen this side of him in a long time. When I think that, I'm reminded of how he still has something to share with me, and immediately I pipe up, "Hey Vaughn!"

He grunts in reply, but I press on anyways.

"You still have to tell me….you owe me," I say, but I'm surprised when he whirls on me furiously, still shirtless.

"I don't owe you anything after this! The way you had me coming after you like this is ridiculous!"

When he sees my face fall, he pinches the bridge of his nose and sighs loudly before leaning down to pick me up and carry me over to the wheelchair that Shea salvaged from the jungle. He sets me down, then kneels, looking straight into my eyes and says, "Promise me something?"

I blush at how close we are, but say, "What?"

"Promise me you won't leave the main island for a whole week. I've got to get back because I have to go for another job, and I won't be able to leave so easily if you get lost again. Plus," he frowns, "the idea of you wheeling around rampant and this kind of thing happening again irritates me."

I frown and cross my arms, and seeing that he sighs and presses his forehead to mine, closing his eyes. I freeze up at the sudden gesture as he murmurs, "Just promise me, okay? If I hear from Julia that you kept your promise, I'll tell you everything when I get back next week. Keep your promise to me, and I'll keep that promise to you."

xxxXXXxxxXXXxxxxXXXxxx

As we approach the island, I can see that the normal Vaughn, the one who has no emotions, is slowly returning. He looks extremely angry as he steps off the boat, wheeling me off.

"Where is everyone?" he demands, and Denny, the only person who was waiting for us, sighs.

"Julia's probably passed out because she was up the whole night worrying, and everyone else is debating whether or not to hold you both funerals."

I laugh at his last words, which are clearly a joke, but Vaughn just rolls his eyes before wheeling us towards Mirabelle's.

xxxXxXxxxXXXxxxXXXxxxXXXxxxXXX

When he kicks the door open and wheels me inside, we're greeted by everyone's screams and gasps of surprise. As they all come running up to me, people look at Vaughn with a mixture of admiration and fear; the looks he's throwing right now could kill.

Julia runs at me and takes my hands before she, her mom, and all the elders begin to scold me. While I try to fend them off, I suddenly see a very forlorn and pale Will sitting in the corner, a frown on his face. Pulling away from everyone, I wheel up to him and flick him.

"Hey," I say, and he flinches then says, "What?" before avoiding my gaze again.

"Stop pouting." I poke him roughly until he looks me in the eyes. "It was my fault." As unwilling as I am to admit that what I did was beyond stupid, I know that if I don't Will is going to guilt himself forever and that would not only make me feel bad but it would get really annoying really quickly.

The prince looks at me with watery blue eyes. "R-really?" he asks, ready to sob in relief, and I just roll my eyes and punch him on the shoulder before he jumps on me and hugs me tightly.

From the corner of my eye, I watch as Vaughn gets an extremely pissed off look on his face before nodding to Julia and Mirabelle and stomping out the door.

Hmmm, what could that mean?

* * *

**Mwhahahaha...you'll understand eventually Chelsea...all in good time... *evil smile***

**Anyways, thanks for reading and expect an update again soon! :)**


	25. Chapter 25

_~Vaughn~_

I don't even know what I'm doing here, to be honest. Originally, I intended to go home and enjoy my other free day off the way I was supposed to be, but somehow I've found myself here in Mineral Town, staring at the faded sign that says, "Welcome" on it.

This town gives me the creeps.

Whether it's because of Chelsea's story, or the way the streets seem to be so woefully empty, I don't know. But either way, it's giving me this weird feeling that crawls up my spine. Half of me doesn't blame her for running away from a place like this.

As I walk through the silent town, I can hear faint music playing. It's like they've put up little hidden speakers everywhere, and the music is hard to hear, but there's no mistaking that it's a cheerful tune. Or well, supposed to be a cheerful tune. It seems warped, the longer and longer I listen to it, and quickly I block it out and focus instead on heading towards the nearest building, a giant church.

The door creaks open slowly, and I peek inside to see an elderly looking preacher standing at his pulpit, staring off into the distance with a vague smile on his face. Because that's not creepy enough, there's another man in the church, this one too staring off blankly into the distance. However, this one's face is twisted in agony, his dark eyes seeming hollow and empty.

I shiver before approaching.

"Hello?" I ask, and the preacher approaches me slowly, that smile still on his face.

"Hello," he says pleasantly. "I am Carter, the preacher here for Mineral Town. Are you a visitor? We haven't had a visitor in a long time."

Nodding, I look over at where the other man sits. He hasn't even acknowledged that someone else besides him and the creepy pastor are in the church. Carter coughs, then says, "I hope you enjoy your stay here. Come, meet Cliff."

xxxXXXxxxXXXXXxxxxxXXXxxxXXX

Cliff, the man sitting on the pew, doesn't even turn his head to look at me when Carter introduces us. He just nods slightly before putting his head in his hands and muttering under his breath. At this point, I'm beyond freaked out, although I don't want to show it.

Muttering excuses, I wave and slip out the door, heading for the town square so I can get back to the beach and out of this insanely scary town.

When I get to the square though, there are three older women there. They look to be possibly in their forties or so; they're older than Cliff was, and Cliff seemed to be in his late twenties. Either way, they're standing near the entrance to the beach, gossiping loudly.

I get the feeling that if I quietly sit on the bench nearby, I'll be able to hear everything they're saying without making it seem like I'm listening in. Gossip is something I'm not fond of, but in a place like this it might get me some answers.

Of course, the first thing they gossip about is me, and how new I look and how I must be some sort of visitor. They go on to analyze my age, deeming me to be 'at least twenty eight'. Surely I don't look that old? I turn only twenty one this year; and I've found out that means I'm only two years older than Chelsea is. During that whole conversation, I do my best to look like I've fallen asleep on the bench.

Suddenly one of them titters and changes the subject to Cliff.

"I saw him again you know, heading towards the church again this morning like he does every day. I can't help but feel sorry for Claire, first she lost her child and now even she's losing her husband, poor girl."

I twitch at the mention of this Claire person having lost a child. Cliff is her husband? I didn't even know someone as gloomy as that was attractive to someone…then again, I'm not one to speak considering the way that Cheryl keeps trying to get with me.

The one wearing green tilts her head back and snickers as well.

"I don't think she's doing well at all these days though. Serves her right, for letting her child run rampant like that and letting her girl destroy Elli's home."

The blonde one makes a sound of disapproval and looks at her friend.

"Now Anna, it wasn't that little girl's fault and we all know it. We were just so devastated at the time because nothing like that had ever happened before…Besides that Elli's got two more children now, both of them are off in college as we speak. It's been so long since that happened. It's Claire I feel sorry for; both she and Cliff live everyday with the regret they could never find their only daughter."

I've heard enough at this point, so I stand up and start walking towards the other side of the square, ignoring them as they titter when I pass by.

It's time to find Claire.

xxxXXXxxxXXXxxxXXXxxxXXXxxx

A young woman with long braids and red robes points me towards the far end of town. She appears to be about the same age as Cheryl.

"If it's the farm you're looking for, you should head that way. Miss Claire and her husband Cliff live there. Are you perhaps a relative of theirs?" she asks, and I shake my head and pull my hat down.

"I'm just an animal trader, I…I want to see if she's got any animals for sale," I make-up an excuse quickly, thanking my lucky stars when the girl just nods before smiling at me.

"I'm May, by the way. It's nice to meet you, Mr. Animal Trader. Do you have a name?"

Please, please do not let her be hitting on me. I clear my throat and grunt out my name, which just causes her to smile even more before we hear someone yell her name and we both turn towards the shout.

A young man with dark hair comes running up to where I am on the sidewalk before leaping over the little fence that separates me from May. He grins at her before turning to look at me.

"I heard there was someone new in town," is all he says, before maneuvering his body casually in front of May's, like he's about to defend her. I just roll my eyes, shrug, and head off towards the farm. May calls out a good-bye to me and I speed away before I can be interrupted again.

xxxXXXxxXXXxxxXXXxxxXXXxxx

It's a pleasant looking farm, considering that the field looks a little shabby. There are stumps and boulders in random places, but other than that the whole place seems fairly well put together. On the far side of the field, I see two women sitting down on some stumps.

Sneaking up behind a large boulder, I listen in again, telling my guilty conscious that what I'm doing is for Chelsea and not my own curiosity.

Good luck trying to convince yourself of that one, genius.

One of them has short brown hair and large, doe eyes. She smiles sadly at the stream before turning to the blonde, who has a cold expression on her face as she watches the water.

"I'm sorry, Claire," the brown haired girl says to the blonde, who just shakes her head.

"Elli, I've told you time and time again you no longer need to apologize. You were in so much pain that day that you didn' t even know what you were doing…And it wasn't entirely your fault. If the rest of this damn town-!" The blonde's voice cuts off in a choking cough, and the other one (Elli, I assume) looks worriedly at her.

"Claire, it'll be okay. I know it's been ten years since Chelsea left, but you need to completely let go. Some people may still blame your daughter for my loss, but most people realize now how harsh they were.

It wasn't her fault that my son had epilepsy, and we should have never blamed her for it to begin with."

Claire just sighs, frustrated, as she sinks her head to her hands.

"I've tried moving on. It's so HARD Elli, to move on thinking that your only child is dead. And it isn't like Cliff and I haven't tried for other children but..."

Claire falls silent and Elli nods sympathetically.

"I know. But are you and Cliff going to let this hang over your lives forever?"

* * *

**I can totally see Mineral Town being creepy as all get out...I mean, think about it. The constant music in the background, but people are nowhere to be seen...And then you meet Carter, whom I love dearly but at the same time he says such cryptic things and all with that totally vague smile on his face, as if whatever he says could turn out bad or good and you just have to wait and see... XD **

**Okay ramble done, onto the next chapter!**


	26. Chapter 26

_~Chelsea~_

Being under watch is a lot more stressful and annoying than I could have ever imagined. I think the worst part though, is that now I'm not even allowed to stay by myself in my house; everyday Julia or Sabrina comes to spend the night with me.

Normally, this would be fine, if I knew that it wasn't just to make sure I'm behaving myself.

Ugh, stupid Vaughn and his stupid requests that Julia HAD to listen to. But if there's one good thing about this, it's that Pierre apologized profusely and even made me an apology cake. I felt terrible though, hearing that Vaughn was getting ready to beat the living daylights out of the small cook for not bringing me back with him.

Was he that concerned about me? Half of me doesn't want to believe it, but the other half knows it's true. It has to be, considering the way he's been acting as of late.

Either way, something interesting will happen when he gets back and finally tells me what I've been waiting to hear about for as long as I've known this guy.

xxxXXXxxxXXXxxxXXXxxxXXXxxx

It's been nearly a week and I can walk, even if it's slow and shaky. Already I'm feeling better, but when I hear a knock at the door I know that there's no way that my babysitters are going to skip their job tonight, when I'm on the verge of getting better and being able to do whatever I please.

I'm surprised though, to open the door to Will.

The prince stands there bashfully, scuffing his feet while he avoids my gaze. I give him a look and we stand there in silence before I realize he's not here for a delivery.

"Yes?" I ask, wondering what he could possibly want at this time of night. Will just clears his throat and blushes even harder.

"I…I'm here to…to stay the night with you!" he squeaks out, and immediately my face turns pink at the thought. Staying the night? WILL? WHY?

As if he can read my thoughts, he puts his hands up and frantically waves them back and forth while explaining how Julia couldn't do it tonight because she's coming down with a cold, and how his cousin can't do it tonight because Regis needs her to finish managing his account as it's the time of the month where he pays bills and goes through his revenues.

So Will was the only option, and both girls trusted him enough to send him here to take care of me? Somehow, I think that staying with Pierre would be safer, although I know that there's no way Natalie would ever let me live that down. Denny's no good either, as I'm not all that well acquainted with him. Heck, Vaughn knows the fisherman more than I do, and Vaughn doesn't even LIKE people.

Will looks at me worriedly and puts his hand on his shoulder, shaking me and snapping me out of my daze.

"Is…is it okay?" he asks haltingly, and I take a deep breath before stepping to the side and allowing him in.

xxxXXXxxxXXXxxxXXXxxxXXXxxx

As if to apologize for the awkwardness of having to stay the night with me, Will makes dinner. When we sit down to eat it, my hunger overcomes and awkward throes from before and I quickly scarf down the food, much to his pleasure.

Afterwards though, comes the part where we both stutter and try to figure out what we're going to do. If it was Julia or Sabrina, I'd willingly share my bed as I have been doing for the past few nights or so, but as it is I'm not about to share with Will.

That, and knowing him, he wouldn't be able to hold still, just the thought of being so close to a girl freaking him out. For as little a time as I've known him, I know him well enough to know how bashful he is about that kind of thing.

He finally decides to sleep on the floor, settling down with a blanket on the other side of the room and wishing me a good night before turning over to face the wall. Silently, I turn to face my wall and fall asleep as well.

xxxXXXxxxXXXxxxXXXXxxx

"Chelsea! Chelsea wake up!"

My eyes snap open to Will's frantic whisper. As my vision clears, I see he's standing over me looking sleepy, holding onto my wrists. Concern is written all over his face as he asks, "Are you alright?"

When I look at him confusedly, he frowns.

"I woke up and you were screaming and thrashing around in your sleep…are you okay?"

Well crap. I was having another nightmare again. Slowly, I realize that it was because I didn't have the comfort of another person with me. The entire week, and that night with Vaughn, I had no night terrors in the least…could it have been because they were with me and I felt a comforting presence?

As corny as it seems, it makes the most sense. Either way, Will stands in front of my bed now, rubbing his eyes and yawning.

"Just wanted to make sure you were okay," he mumbles, turning around and getting ready to go over to his side of my house. But I don't want to be alone again, and if he's going to be here for the rest of the night I don't want to be screaming either.

On impulse, I lean out of bed and grab his shirttail, causing him to look back.

"Chelsea?" He asks quietly, suddenly seeming more awake. Meekly, I tug his shirt then scoot over and pat the bed.

"Please….just until I fall asleep. Can you…can you stay with me?"

Will's entire face turns a bright pink, and he slowly moves to kneel by my bedside before he takes my hand.

"I'm here, Chelsea. Sleep." He says in a soft, comforting voice, and I oblige, already snuggling deeper under the covers before closing my eyes. Just before I slip off into dreamland, I feel a cool sensation on my forehead, and for a second I wonder what it was before I dismiss the thought and let go of consciousness.


	27. Chapter 27

_~Vaughn~_

I'm halfway up the path to my house before I see that someone's already waiting for me inside; and I've a pretty good idea who it is too. Silently, I begin to back away from the house and turn quickly on my heel, heading for the one place I know I'll be safe.

The old tunnel is still holding up when I reach it, and silently I breathe in relief before walking through it, thanking my lucky stars that the lights are all still intact. Granted, the lights are new, but I remember as a kid being terrified that one day the lights would go out while I was in between and that I'd be stuck in the dark all by myself.

Dad used to say I got my fear of the dark from mom, not him.

xxxXXXxxxXXXxxxXXXXxxxXXXxxx

My aunt looks beyond surprised to see me, but she lets me inside with a smile nonetheless.

"Heya, Vaughn," she says as I wipe my feet and stand politely with my hat between my hands. "What brings you here? I haven't seen you in ages, you've grown so tall!"

While she stands on her toes to ruffle my hair affectionately, my uncle walks in and sees me, a big smile wreathing his face.

"Vaughn!" For a man of his age, he's still got quite a bit of strength as he pulls me into a rough hug before pounding me on the back. Then he stands back and puts his arm around my aunt while the two admire my height.

Of course, they're not truly blood related to me, but they're the closest things I have to family left.

After a few more pleasantries, my aunt goes to set the table and my uncle smiles as he leads me into the dining room. When we sit down, I can see he's about to ask me more questions and pry into my solitary life, so quickly I bring up the subject of the new horse I saw tied outside his stable.

It works, and he begins talking at length about what a magnificent breed it is while my aunt just comes in with the food, nodding in agreement. The two of them never had any children of their own, but they were always perfectly satisfied to raise horses rather than offspring.

When dinner's finished, I'm about to excuse myself to go sleep in the room that used to be mine when my uncle gives me a look that tells me I haven't escaped his questioning.

Damn.

Getting up slowly, he nods for me to join him as he grabs his pipe and the two of us walk outside leaving my aunt to clean up the table in our wake.

xxxXXXxxxXXXxxxXXXxxxXXXxx

We end up on the old abandoned farm that was once run by a strange old man named Philip. As we stand in the weed ridden field , my uncle lights his pipe before turning to me with a sigh.

"Why did you really come to visit? You never come unless you have no choice, even when you know how Georgia misses you."

I tug at my hat, suddenly feeling ashamed at the way I've been avoiding their house for a long time. With a sigh I kick the dirt before answering.

"It's not because I don't want to come back. Uncle, your house was my home after mom and dad…" I can't finish my sentence, but my uncle just nods. He gives me a rueful smile before staring out at the old house.

"I know. You've always been a solitary person, even as a child. But we worry about you, Vaughn. You were our best friend's son, and when you came to live with us you were so different from how you were before everything happened. I feel as if every time I see you, you've not only grown in height but have grown to be so cold.

Georgia and I could never replace Lillian and Mikhail. But we don't like to see you this way, always so alone. Your parents wouldn't have wanted that for you either."

My fists clench at the mention of my parents. I know perfectly well that it would have broken my mother's heart to see how everything played out after her death. But at the same time, I hate being put in the position of having to explain to my uncle that it's not his or my aunt's fault that I've grown to be this way.

As if he can sense what I'm thinking, he just sighs before looking up at the sky.

"None of it is your fault, especially what happened to your father. You need to let that go, Vaughn. It's been so long…" His voice trails off and he can see that bringing up the past will only keep me quiet, so he just smiles at me sadly before asking how my work's been and how the new island that I've been visiting is.

I tell him its fine, just fine. The island's no different to me than the others; except for one person. But I'm not about to share her existence with my uncle. I'd hate for him or my aunt to get any silly ideas in their head about how I'm actually interested in someone, even more so that it's a girl.

Besides that, I can't quite explain it myself yet.

* * *

**Now now Vaughn, stop being so silly. He knows perfectly well what it is, but he isn't willing to admit it because he's stubborn. But all in due time :)**


	28. Chapter 28

_~Chelsea~_

"Chellllseaaaaaaa!" Julia screams my name, running at me excitedly, a letter in her hand as she nearly knocks me over onto my own field.

I laugh and push her off me before dusting my clothes off.

"I just recovered, are you that eager to put me out of commission again?" I tease. I'm in a good mood, just waiting for tomorrow when the boat will come, along with the long awaited backstory of a cowboy. Julia just giggles girlishly.

Her doing so is my first sign that something's amiss; this is not the normal, rough and tough Julia I know and adore…it's love-stricken, Elliot obsessed Julia.

She rolls over and practically slams the letter into my face while squealing, "Read it! Just read it!"

Untangling the paper away, I look over it carefully. It takes me all of a minute to realize what it is and what's going on. My hand dropping to my side in disbelief, I openly gape at my friend.

"You mean, he actually ASKED YOU?"

Julia just nods, practically glowing with happiness. I just shake my head and shrug.

"So miracles DO happen," I tease her, and she pouts before hitting my arm. I know how much it means for her to have a date to the fireworks festival that's going to happen in two nights, but to have Elliot actually send her a letter…it was definitely more than she could've ever hoped for.

Accordingly so, I give her a sly look. "So are you going to kiss him then?" I ask, watching as she blushes furiously at the thought. She slaps at me like a silly girl and sits back, still blushing.

"N-no. He has to kiss me, I can't go and kiss him!" she insists, although I just smirk at this statement. It was already a big enough step for Elliot to even send her a letter, I know that much. Because of that, I also know that even though the fireworks festival here has got to be some kind of couple set up thing, he won't bother kissing her. He might hold her hand though; and knowing Julia that'll be more than enough to make her happy.

How cute.

While I think that, she suddenly digs her elbow into me.

"So…anyone ask you yet?" She asks casually, although her tone is anything but. I just shake my head and look up at the sky, a smile on my face.

"I don't care," I say happily, although a little part of me inside twists at the idea of everyone else having someone to watch the fireworks with. It'll be particularly hard to watch the families that will go together; it makes me jealous for the family I left behind.

My friend just gives me a look though and shrugs, a smirk already playing on her lips.

"Well, what if someone invites you?" she wants to know, and I smile and shrug back at her.

"I'll go. It might be fun," I say, although in all reality I don't know whether or not I'd actually want to go, even if it was with a friend. Julia just smiles before saying she has to go, waving as she leaves my farm.

xxxXXXxxxXXXxxxXXXXxxxxXXXXxxxx

I spend the rest of the day avoiding my farm. After seeing that look in Julia's eye, I knew exactly what she was planning to do; she was going to hook me up with someone.

I'm on one of the Mystic Islands, staring up at the big church that was recently built. I haven't talked much to either Alisa or Nathan, but staying here has to be better than staying on my farm and avoiding whoever it is that Julia's planning to send my way.

As I approach the door to the church, I hear familiar voices behind me, and I swerve around and catch a glimpse of purple before I quickly dart behind the church. Peeking out, I watch with wide eyes and Denny and Lanna come up the path. The two are laughing and avoiding each other's gaze, although by the looks of things both of them are blushing.

It's wrong to spy and eavesdrop…but at the same time being bored is even worse to me. Quietly, I sneak behind them, trailing them as they head past the church and go towards the other side of the island.

xxxXXXxxxxXXXXxxxxXXXXxxx

"It's beautiful here," Lanna says, pushing her hair behind her ear with a smile while she looks out at the sea. I have to agree with her. From this viewpoint, the sun's rays reflect perfectly off the ocean, and the light dances and catches in the trees where I've hidden myself to watch the couple.

Denny just smiles and moves a little closer to her, not saying anything. The bird that usually resides on his shoulder is missing, and for a second I wonder where it is before realizing he's probably left it at home for his little date with Lanna.

Clearing his throat, he looks at her and says, "Yes, beautiful." I want to gag at the cheesy way he's picking up at her, but when Lanna looks at him I can practically see the stars in her eyes.

This is even better than a soap opera, the way the two of them are staring at each other.

As Lanna turns to him, he clasps her hands in his and looks down at her, just a hint of his playboy grin showing.

"Let's go to the fireworks together. We'll have lot of fun; I promise." Denny says in a low voice, and Lanna blushes, trying to hide her pleased smile.

"W-well…I suppose I can go with you," she says, pretending to not care that this whole situation has her beyond excited. I just know that tonight she'll be begging us to come over for another 'girl talk' which she'll spend the entire time going on and on about how romantic Denny is.

Of course, now that I know he's not so much romantic as he is cheesy, it ought to make her delusions of him that much more entertaining to me.

I lean back against the tree branch watching as they walk off hand in hand. Once they're gone, I jump off and hit the ground smoothly.

It truly is beautiful here, in a way that one can only expect from a place like this. Here, I feel as free as a bird, and I feel like nothing can touch me, not even the scars of my past. Nothing is impossible for me here.

For a second, Vaughn's concerned face flashes through my mind, but I shrug it off. Julia will never know that I left the main island if I leave now to return, although I don't really want to leave. With a sigh, I turn to head back to my farm when I feel a presence behind me.

Before I can turn, a pair of arms wrap themselves around me and I hear a low chuckle before the person begins to talk in a low voice right next to my ear.

"Looks like someone broke their promise," a familiar, husky voice says, and I blush and try to squirm out of his grasp. I succeed by stomping on his foot and darting forward when he lets go, and I turn around in a flash to see Vaughn standing at the edge of the cliff, looking at me with a stern expression.

My hand rises to my red face and I stammer out angrily, "Wha-what was that for?!" Vaughn shrugs and smirks at me, clearly enjoying the fact that he's startled me to the extent I'm blushing.

"Normally I'm not the type to scare girls, especially like that…but I think you deserve it, for breaking your promise." He says, giving me a glare.

I feign ignorance and laugh light-heartedly.

"Promise? I'm safe, so everything's okay right?"

I'm surprised when Vaughn just sighs and his brings his hand up to his face, covering it; a sure sign that he's irritated at me. He brings the hand down to give me a surprisingly gentle look of reproach before reaching out and grabbing a strand of my hair, letting it slip between his fingers idly.

"It's no longer a matter of whether you're just safe anymore…" he admits. "I worry no matter what. And it pisses me off even more that I worry so much."

* * *

**And here it comes XD All the fluff XD I'll put up more when I can, so until then leave your thoughts and stay tuned! :) Thanks for reading!**


	29. Chapter 29

_~Vaughn~_

Crap. Why did I just say that?

I watch as she looks up at me with a confused expression on her face, tilting her head to the side like she can't understand what's going on with me.

"Why do you worry about me so much?" she whispers, and for a second I want to be irrational and just throw my arms around her and tell her to shut up and stop being too cute.

Shaking my head, I just turn and sit down on the edge of the cliff, patting the spot next to me.

"I've a question for you," I mumble. This is it. This is why I came back so early.

Chelsea obliges, sitting down beside me with a curious look on her face. Taking a deep breath, I start, avoiding her gaze.

"Do you like fireworks?"

"Huh?" she says, clearly not having expected me to be asking that question. I clear my throat and repeat myself.

"Do you like fireworks?" I ask, watching as she smirks at me.

"You wouldn't happen to be asking me…to the fireworks now would you?" Chelsea cocks her head to the side and grins at me cheekily, like she knows that it's taking all of my willpower right now not to grab my hat and run away from this whole awkward situation.

"Yes, I am. Now just answer the damn question," I grunt out, ducking my head to avoid her teasing smile. She's not having any of it today though, and she grabs my chin, turning my head so that I'm looking at her.

She seems to size me up before sitting back and grinning even wider at me.

"I GUESS I can go with you…" she says it like it inconveniences her, although by the pleased blush she has on her face I can tell that she's obviously happy that I've asked.

It makes me wonder if her knight in shining armor has said anything to her yet. If I beat him to the chase, he's going to throw a fit. That much was obvious, the way he told me he hates me.

And Chelsea thinks I'M the rude one.

While I'm silently speculating all this in my head, she turns to face the water and leans against me, quiet. I'm surprised that she hasn't tried prying into my life the way she normally does; it seems she's content to just be here for now, with me. The thought has me heating up, but I take a deep breath to calm myself down.

Slowly, I let my arm find its way around her hip, where it stays while we sit in silence, watching until the sun goes down.

xxxXXXxxxXXXxxxXXXxxxXXXxxx

When we get back to her farm, I'm ready to say good-bye, see you at the fireworks, when she gasps and runs ahead.

"What's this?" she says curiously, pulling a beautiful bouquet off her doorstep. There are all sorts of beautiful flowers combined together, and in the midst of them is a blue magic flower, the exact same color as Chelsea's eyes.

I know exactly who it came from before she even reads the card attached.

"To Chelsea…from Will… I wonder what he wants?" She mutters to herself.

Sometimes, I wonder exactly how dense this girl can be. If she couldn't figure out from the start that he likes her, she's got a big surprise coming for her soon enough.

Regardless, I'll let her figure it out on her own, and I'll give the prince a chance. After all, it's not like I have much to worry about; already I know more about her than he'll ever get the chance to know.

I'm getting ready to really say good-bye to her this time and stomp off when she seems to remember something she wants to ask me. Turning to me, she puts her hands on her hips and looks up at me sternly.

"By the way Vaughn…I forgot to ask you this earlier, but what did you do to Pierre?"

I freeze; this was not the question I was expecting. The way she's looking at me too has me wondering what could possibly be in store for me if I tell her that I all but murdered the tiny chef.

Casually, I shrug and look off into the distance like it was nothing terribly dramatic.

"I just told him he was an idiot for leaving you, that's all." I say, trying to play it off like nothing happened at all. She doesn't buy it though. Before I can react, her hands shoot up and she grabs my face, forcing me to look right at her.

I blush, and curse myself for it, while she begins to lecture me on how I can't ever do something that mean to Pierre again. While she goes on and on, I tune her out and notice how soft her hands are, considering that she's supposed to be farming.

Shit. What's wrong with me?

Moving swiftly, I break free from her grasp and grab her tiny wrists in my hands, holding them tight as she tries to get her hands free. I lean forward and analyze her face even more, which just has her blushing before she looks away with a pout.

"You weren't even listening to me, were you?" she asks, and I smirk before tilting my head slightly to look at her.

"Not really," I say, earning another cute frown from her before she finally manages to pull away and darts back to look at me, a confused blush painting her features. For some reason, the idea that I can make her blush has me pleased.

I turn around and wave casually, heading off towards the main island.

"I'll see you around, Chelsea."

xxxXXXxxxxXXXxxxXXXxxxXXXXxxx

It's the night of the fireworks already. I dreaded this night, to be honest. Not because I was going to actually be in a date-like situation with Chelsea…but the idea of all the villagers giving us knowing looks has me antsy. That, and seeing as how I've decided tonight will be the night for my big revelation, I'm about ready for this to already be over.

I meet her at the diner, like we planned. When she shows up, it takes all my willpower to not blush. Instead, I look away and make a face, wondering when she got to be so pretty.

She's done something to her hair; it falls down her shoulders in gentle waves, and because her hair isn't tied back by her that annoying bandanna her bangs fall softly, just barely covering her right eye. Her lashes seem longer than normal, and her eyes are slightly lined with just a hint of black. Instead of her usual attire, she's wearing a short, ruffly white skirt and a tight black sleeveless top-both of which HAVE to be Julia's, considering that the last time I checked, Chelsea wasn't the type to have those kinds of clothing.

She's beautiful. As she comes up to where I'm sitting though, I can tell she's uncomfortable, and I smirk at her as she slides into the seat across from me.

"Oh, shut up," she mumbles, blushing as I lean forward and put my chin on my hands to really look at her.

"I didn't say anything."

"You didn't have to. I can just TELL what you're thinking."

I raise an eyebrow at this statement and say, "Oh really? And exactly what am I thinking?"

She frowns and pulls the edge of her skirt, trying to make it cover more of her long, pale legs.

"How stupid I look."

I smiles gently at her and raise one hand to touch her cheek briefly, making her look at me with a blush as I move my hand to grab a strand of hair, pulling it towards me.

Her smell seems to hover around us in a cloud; a mix of the earth yet something sweet, pulling me in closer.

"Wrong," I murmur into her hair, "I was actually just thinking I never knew how pretty you really are. Why do you always try to hide it?"

* * *

**I might put up another few chapters today too, but I thought I'd put this one up since I already have it :) Enjoy, and check back a little later!**


	30. Chapter 30

_~Chelsea~_

He's acting differently. Every time I see him…it's like he's become more and more gentle, more and more suave. And he definitely knows how to make me blush.

He seems to realize suddenly where we are, and he lets my hair slip out of his fingers with a 'tch', blushing as he looks away.

"It seems the town's found something new to gossip about," he mutters, and I blush before looking over to see that about half the town is staring at us. Of course, as soon as they see I'm looking they all whip their heads back to their own tables, but I can hear a buzz starting, and by the looks Julia and the other girls are throwing at my table, I'm never going to hear the end of this.

While I turn back to look at him, I can see he's studying the rest of the townspeople with impatience.

"I can't take much more of their speculating," he growls, getting up and grabbing my wrist as he does so. "Let's go."

Pulling me out of the diner, he heads over to the beach where the fireworks are planned to go off. I'm surprised when he shows me that he's found a secluded place away from everyone else but still within sight; as we sit down, we notice all the other couples have also flocked to the area, and are now sitting down and talking.

Once we're sitting, Vaughn sighs and looks up at the sky. I blush, sneaking a peek at him from out of the corner of my eye. He's VERY different tonight…even his clothing is different. He's wearing a plain black tee and some jeans. Sure, he left the hat on when we were in the diner, but now that we're alone he's put it down on the blanket he brought, giving me a rare glimpse of his silver hair.

In this light, it actually appears to be a white color instead of a silver one, and I remember that it looked the exact same way that night in Shea's tent.

I'm all but ready to ask him about his hair color when he clears his throat.

"Do you still want to know?" he murmurs low, the hesitation in his voice nearly tangible. I flush, suddenly remembering the whole reason we ever started talking in the first place. It wasn't because I liked him, or thought he was attractive the way I do now.

It was because how obviously similar we were, hiding things from the rest of the world.

However, the look on his face tells me plainly that he hates to have to talk about this. Quietly, I snuggle up to him, leaning my head against his shoulder before saying softly, "If you don't mind, I would like to know."

He hesitates, then sits back, using his hands to prop himself up as he looks into the sky, beginning his story.

xxxXXXXxxxXXXXxxxXXXxxxx

"I live in Bluebell; not really in the town, but in a farmhouse not far from it. There is a mountain that separates my town from the neighboring one. Originally, the two towns hated each other, but my aunt and uncle always told me that when my mother moved in she had opened up the tunnel under the mountain, as she'd finally managed to get everyone to be friendly again.

When she'd finished the tunnel, she and my dad got married and settled down together.

I had a happy childhood until I was about ten. My mother owned the farm, and my father had been a traveling musician before falling in love with her. I remember...they were very loving. Nights were spent with my dad playing his violin to lull me to sleep, and it was always the same song; the song he wrote for my mom. He loved her so much.

It was a windy day, when my father went out on the first of autumn. It was his favorite thing to do; going up to the summit of the mountain inspired him to write even more music. He never went there again, after that day.

By the afternoon, it was storming outside, and my father hadn't come home yet. My mother, frantic with worry, put on her coat and told me to take care of the house, as she was going to go search for my father.

They told me later that while she was trekking up the mountain, the storm had gotten even worse and she'd probably been blown off the summit. They couldn't even find her body…and my father had been in the tunnel the whole time, waiting out the storm.

I don't remember much of her funeral, to be honest. But I remember afterwards.

My dad killed himself. He blamed himself for her death, saying he shouldn't have gone out at all that day in such conditions. As soon as my mother was pronounced dead, he stopped eating. His violin collected dust as it sat in the corner, and he never spoke, not even to me.

He let himself wither away, so that he could join my mom. Two days after his death, my Aunt and Uncle took me in, saying that they'd promised my parents they'd take care of me if anything ever happened. I grew up with them, in the other town, but I never forgot what happened in my own home.

I can't forget it-I can't forget the way I just let my father kill himself. I can't forget the fact that I never even tried to ask for help from the other adults.

I let my dad die, right in front of my eyes."

xxxXXXxxxxXXXxxxXXXxxxXXXxxx

He's quiet, after that. It's the most I've ever heard him say in one sitting, and it's heart rending enough to make me want to cry.

How could a father do that to his own child?

Shaking my head angrily at the thought, I look up and see that he's smiling sadly up at the sky. There has to be some way to comfort him.

Slowly, I slip my hand into his and squeeze tightly, before leaning into him even more and whispering, "You know, I don't really think you're to blame for that. Children don't really have the kind of power to order adults around, and from the way things sound it seems like the town's half to blame too, for not checking up on you."

He just nods and squeezes my hand back, the two of us sitting in silence as we watch the first of the fireworks go off.


	31. Chapter 31

_~Vaughn~_

I don't feel so bad, telling her this story. Not when she shyly slips her hand into mine, and I can feel the warmth actually touching me for once, in a way that I usually don't allow.

It's peaceful, and full of so many feelings; all conveyed to me when she just touches me, even if it's only slight.

The fireworks crash and bang above us, their light bursting forth against the dark sky. I smile, actually glad to be there and actually enjoying myself. I'm about to say something to Chelsea when I hear a soft snore and look down.

She's already fallen asleep.

Most people would probably be annoyed, considering that something big just happened and she's fallen asleep like it bored her, but I know that's not the case. It's just how she is.

In fact, it's so very like her that I have to stop a smile from spreading across my face, and I bring my free hand up to cover my mouth, averting my eyes from her sleeping face.

As the last of the fireworks go off, I lean in closer, inspecting her face. I hold back a laugh when I notice that her lipstick is slightly smudged, and I run my finger gently over her bottom lip, taking it off.

The intimacy of the gesture surprises even me, and my hand shoots back while I turn red and look away. Thank the Goddess that Chelsea isn't awake right now…this is NOT good.

If I don't get her home now, I might end up doing something I'll regret. Slowly, I slip my hand out of her grasp and clench it into a fist, realizing how much colder it is now that I'm not holding it. It's strange; before this, I wouldn't have thought someone as tiny as her could be so warm.

I stretch, then bend down to pick her up. When her head lolls onto my chest, I freeze as she seems to lean towards me more, muttering, "Warm..." before going back to a gentle snore.

This is going to be more difficult than I thought.

xxxXXXxxxXXXxxxXXXXxxx

Eventually, I make it back to her house, although I nearly drop her a few times along the way. It's not that she's heavy; if anything, she seems even lighter than the last time I was carrying her.

It's a lot of different factors. I'm also starting to wish she was wearing her normal shorts instead of the extremely short skirt, as I've a feeling she'd be really pissed if she knew that I know the color of her panties right now.

Not to mention the feel of her bare legs on my arms has got me more than nervous that I'll attack her when we get back to her house and I see her lying there, looking vulnerable again.

It's so dark in her house that I nearly drop her again as I run into a table. I curse under my breath before safely making it to her bed where I try and put her down as gently as I can, considering I'm not normally a gentle person.

She turns her head in her sleep and her hair spills onto her pillow while the moonlight lights up a section of her face. As I thought before, she's beautiful. To think that she goes to such lengths to hide it from the rest of the world…although I don't mind it at the moment. For me, it's kind of nice to think I'll be the only person who's ever seen her like this.

Slowly, I reach down and brush her bangs out of her face, then let my fingers trail down her cheek to her lips, where I linger for a second before pulling away and looking at the window.

If I want to do something, now's my chance.

When I lean down, staring at her face, she shifts as my cool breath hits her face. Gently, I let my lips brush against hers, before moving them to her ear.

"I'll see you when I get back. Chelsea."

* * *

**Warning now...don't be shocked by what happens in the next chapter, because it will be explained! I promise!**


	32. Chapter 32

_~Chelsea~_

I dream that he kisses me. Vaughn, that is.

The kiss is so faint, so plain, that I can't even taste him but I catch his scent; the smell of rain with just a hint of sea breeze. It's so very comforting, this smell, this feel.

When I wake up, panting, I realize that I'm at home. The fireworks are over, and I didn't even get to say good-bye properly.

Then again, after dreaming that, I'm not sure if I'll be able to face him again without blushing.

Slowly, I pull my knees up to my chest and muse to myself. It's been awhile since I've had to assess my feelings like this, but I know if I don't do it I'll only end up going in circles.

I like him.

I like Vaughn.

xxxXXXxxxxXXXXxxXXXXxxx

Of course, Julia's not shocked in the least when I explain this all to her, only a day before Vaughn's to arrive back on the island.

"I have to say, you're a bit dense when it comes to love aren't you?" she teases, ruffling my hair affectionately as I lean over the counter, watching her make something to take to Elliot for lunch.

"Oh hush," I pout, "I just realized this okay? Let me be."

She giggles, but obliges, hopping up on the counter to talk to me while she waits for the clock hands to hit twelve, when she can go over and drop off her food.

"I'm just surprised you didn't figure it out sooner. Honestly Chelsea, the way you two opened up to each other was amazing. I know I'm your best friend here, and because of that I also know that you've told him things you haven't told me."

I hold up my hands to apologize but she just waves it off. "I don't blame you. Everyone has things that they can't share so easily, or on a whim. The fact that you found it easy to tell him…means that it was meant to be!" she concludes, winking at me as the clock hands finally reach the position she's been waiting for.

She bounces out the door, leaving me to wallow in my own thoughts. I think there's something wrong with me, to be honest. How could I manage to fall for the one guy on this entire island that is one, never here, but two, doesn't even like people?

Brilliant, Chelsea. Just give your heart away to the one person who's least likely to accept it.

Then again…the way he's been acting lately has me thinking he might actually not take too badly to things if I start to edge towards a different sort of relationship.

While I think about all of this, Will comes bursting into the shop.

"Chelseaaaaa," he whines, and I stand up, acknowledging the fact that I haven't hung out with him in awhile.

"Hey Will," I say, trying to not feel guilty when I see him pouting.

"Don't 'hey Will' me," he sulks, "You never spend time with me anymore. You're always with Vaughn." I blush at his words but he doesn't seem to notice, as he keeps talking. "Anyways, come hang out with me today! There's this cool new place I found!"

My eyebrow raises in surprise. I'm shocked that Will, my unadventurous Will, has not only found a new place but is excited to share it with me. Eagerly, I grab my rucksack and stand up, nodding my head and wondering where we're headed.

xxxXXXxxxxXXXXxxxXXXXxxxxx

"Ta-da!" he says, pointing at the big volcano when we step off the boat, a proud look on his face. I'm a little shocked that I never knew this island existed.

Honestly, how could I have missed this giant mass of land? Sometimes I think I'm a bit of airhead.

Walking over towards the entrance to what looks like mines, he grabs my hand and begins tugging me along as we enter the inside.

"Let's go!" he says cheerfully, like holding my hand and walking with me is the most natural thing in the world. It's weird, how touchy he's being. I'd question it, but seeing as it's just Will, I'm not really all that concerned about it.

Now, when Vaughn started acting this casual around me, that was an entirely different story. It doesn't help either that just thinking about him that night we spent in Shea's tent….

Something seriously, seriously wrong with me. Now is not the time to be having these thoughts, not with Will standing here, looking expectantly at me.

"Chelsea?" he asks gently, "What's wrong?"

I just laugh and try to shrug it off.

"I was just thinking about Vaughn, you two are so different," I say with a laugh. But Will doesn't smile back this time. Something in his eyes darken, and he drops my hand to look at me.

"Vaughn," he states flatly, "You were thinking about him?"

I hesitate; something's different. Will seems almost…well, dangerous. As he stares me down, he takes a step closer to me, then another one while I back away. Before I know it, I've been backed into a wall. I'm about to ask him what's wrong when his hands slam down on either side of my head, his hands clutching at the rock roughly while he looks down at me.

"Why is it always him?" he asks, bringing his lips down to my neck where he presses them gently. I don't like this at all; accordingly so, I begin struggling to fight him off.

Again, Will surprises me by grabbing my wrists tightly. I never even knew he was that strong…while I wonder what's going on, he presses into me so that the rock wall digs into my back, and I cry out in pain. He doesn't seem to notice; he's too busy pressing kisses into my neck, trailing down to my collarbone. When he looks up, there's a hungry look in his eyes.

"Chelsea," he says low, one of his hands leaving my wrist free to fall to my back, pulling me closer to him as he once again presses me into the rock. "Chelsea…" he murmurs my name, pressing his cheek against mine while I squirm under him, trying to get out.

"Will, stop! You're hurting me," I whimper, never having felt so utterly weak in my entire life. Will doesn't seem to be the same though, because instead of pulling back and apologizing like he normally would, he only pushes into me harder.

"I would never hurt you, Chelsea," he mutters angrily, "I love you."

I'm about to protest and tell him to seriously shove off when he bites my ear and I shiver, crying out. I begin to push at him, trying to get him off but it's like he's been possessed by some kind of inner strength I never even knew he had, and he doesn't budge an inch.

Things are starting to look really bad when he reaches for my vest, all but ripping it off of me.

"Will stop," I begin to cry, but he doesn't seem to notice it. He's too absorbed in making me believe this one truth that I just can't comprehend; he loves me. But if he really loves me, why is he doing this? Why is he being so forceful?

As if he can hear my questions, he mutters an answer into my skin, his hand already inching under my tank top.

"You don't see me at all, do you Chelsea? I'm just some friend, someone you've never even looked at twice…but I'm about to change that…"

I close my eyes, preparing for the worst. Suddenly, the pressure and feel of Will's skin leaves me, and I open my eyes meekly to see a tall figure standing in front of me, panting.

The shoulders are wide, and the clothes are familiar. That hat has never looked so welcoming to me as it does now.

"I'll tell you this once, and you better listen well because I'm only saying it once," he growls menacingly at Will, who's now lying on the floor nursing a bruised jaw. Reaching back, the cowboy grabs my hand and pulls me to him, saying, "Don't touch what's mine."

* * *

**Yes, this seems really different from Will's personality...but I will explain it XD Later XD**

Something along the lines of...he's kind of like a spoiled little kid. He holds back, but only for so long before he has to have whatever it is he wants. It's just how he was raised...so he wants Chelsea and can't really express that normally so his dark side is coming out. And how I long for overly perfect characters to have a dark side XD

Anyways, I hope you enjoyed it, and expect an update soon!


	33. Chapter 33

**First things first! Thanks very much to all you who have reviewed so far-you keep me from wanting to abandon things when I think I've botched them up :)  
Also, silentworld11, your paragraph made me smile so thanks for that :)**

now, onto the story!

* * *

_~Vaughn~_

I'm too angry to even begin to think about what's coming out of my mouth right now. All I know is that I came back a day early again to try and spend more time with Chelsea, and I end up hearing from Julia that Will's taken her somewhere.

That alone was enough to piss me off, but this…this has me seeing red.

I'm ready to seriously beat this asshole into the ground and put him in place when Chelsea tugs on my hand.

"Vaughn, let's just go," she whispers, her eyes blank. She seems to be shocked at the idea that Will not only had feelings for her, but just tried to force himself on her.

Giving the prince one last contemptuous glance, I grab Chelsea by the waist and pull her towards the boat that I borrowed from Denny.

xxXXXxxxXXXxxxXXXxxxXXxxxx

She's been silent ever since we left the island, staring blankly and not seeming to see a thing.

The wind blows a bit, bringing with a nice autumn feel, but she shivers despite the fact that it's warm. Seeing this, I avert my eyes and drop my vest on her, covering her small figure before we get to the island and I help her off the boat.

We make it to her farm without being interrupted by anyone, which is just as well since I don't want her to have to stop and talk now. Not after something like that just happened.

She doesn't move when I usher her inside and shut the door.

I sigh. I've had about enough of this.

"Take it off," I say pointedly, finally catching her attention. Shaking herself out of her daze, she stares at me confusedly.

"Wha-what?" she asks, her face turning red as I repeat myself, nodding at her vest.

She backs away, looking afraid like I'll try to do the same thing that Will did, but I just roll my eyes and grab her wrist, pulling her lightly to her bathroom.

"Vaughn, what-"

I gently remove her vest as I turn on her shower and shove her in it, clothes on and all. She shrieks as the cold water splashes around her.

"Hey, stop it, what are you-"

"Get rid of it." When she stares at me, uncomprehending, I hand her the soap bar and say, "You smell like him. I don't like it."

She gives me a blush before kicking me out of her bathroom, seeming to return to her old self as she does so.

"F-fine, but get out then!" she squeals, pushing me out before slamming the door in my face. I don't mind though; she's answering me now, and that means the worst is over.

xxxXXXxxxxXXxxxxXXXxxxxXXxxxx

She comes out in the clothes I had dragged with me when I took her to the bathroom; too big pajama pants that drag, and a tank top.

Normally, this would be really hot, but right now she looks more like a lost little kid to me. I want to comfort her, and tell her everything's going to be alright, but I know if I bring it up that I'll just lose her again, and that's the last thing I need right now.

I hold out my hand from where I sit on the couch and she shuffles forwards before shyly taking it. Closing my eyes, I pull her into my lap and hug her tight, enjoying the scent of her shampoo.

"You smell like fruit," I tell her, burying my face in her soft hair, and I feel her heat up, a sure sign she's blushing.

"You smell like grass," she says rudely, but I know that she'll be okay when I feel her grab fistfuls of my shirt to pull herself closer to my chest.

And we sit there, in silence for an hour.

xxxXXXxxxXXXxxxXXXxxxXXXxxx

After she finally falls asleep, I tuck her into her bed and leave with one last look. Now that I've finally calmed her down, it's time I pay a visit to Will.

Striding towards the yacht, I've never felt more angry than I do now. Rage courses through me, as the image of him pressing into her while she cries plays over and over in my head.

I hate him.

Will opens the door, a sullen look coming over his face when he sees it's me.

"What do you want," he spats at me.

"You and I need to talk," I say coldly, taking a deep breath through my nose.

I'm not going to beat him up…yet.

Will gives me a look, like he's about to slam the door in my face when I stick my foot out, wedging it between the door and the door frame.

"Let me in," I say, and he silently swings open the door to bow me in.


	34. Chapter 34

_~Chelsea~_

"_Chelsea," _ _he says, walking towards me with that familiar gentle look on his face. "Chelsea, come on."_

_I shake my head frantically and back away. I don't know why, but suddenly he seems so dangerous, which is odd in itself. I've never seen Will as dangerous, so why now…?_

"_Chelsea." He says, sounding impatient. I'm about to ask him what he wants when his hands reach out at me and he grins darkly at me. _

"_GIVE HIM BACK, CHELSEA," Will's voice becomes a high pitched shriek. "GIVE HIM BACK, AND GO IN HIS PLACE. YOU DON'T BELONG HERE, SILLY GIRL."_

_I watch before my eyes as all but Will's hands disappear, wrapping around me and crushing me with a force that takes my breath away. I'm choking, struggling, barely able to breathe. I want to cry, but no tears or sounds come out, and my kicks start to falter as I lose energy, slowly and slowly submitting to the death hug that I've been put in. _

"_St-stop," I murmur, using the last of my strength to try and pull away. _

"_Yes, that's right," his voice says soothingly, although it's no longer his voice at all. "Stop, Chelsea. Stop living."_

xxxXXXxxxXXXxxxXXXxxxXXXxxx

Needless to say, when I go to visit Pierre in the morning like promised, I look a fright.

"Chelsea!" he squeaks, fussing around me and picking at wild strands of bedhead, "What happened? Did you fall out of bed?" he looks up at me worriedly, and I look down at him, seriously wanting to hug the crap out of him.

How is it possible that he's OLDER than me? Seriously? He's too cute!

I sigh and close my eyes, shaking my head.

"I'm fine, I'm fine!" I say, trying to wave him off with a laugh when I see him start to cower. I'm about to ask him what's wrong when I feel a cool breath on the back of my neck.

"Why didn't you come say good morning to me?" Vaughn says, and I turn around slowly to find myself face to face with a pouting cowboy. He's actually pouting, like a little kid, and he's giving me this disappointed look, like he wanted to be the first person to see me.

As it's early, it looks like he was up for a morning walk; he's not fully decked out in his outfit, only wearing a black tank top and a pair of rolled up jeans that hang low on his waist, showing just a hint of gray that has GOT to be his boxers. The way he looks now, he could pass for the bad boy in any story.

Oh dear Goddess, why do you torment me so?

I try to stop gawking at him and turn my head, facing the ocean. I'm about to say something witty and clever back, when Pierre starts trembling, going to hide behind me.

Seeing this, Vaughn just rolls his eyes and looks at the ocean too, rubbing the back of his head in an embarrassed manner.

"Hey," he grunts at Pierre, who freezes at being addressed by the giant who stands before him. "I'm sorry, about what I did." Vaughn finishes, while I stare at him, amazed that he's actually apologizing.

Pierre stares up at him, before edging out from behind me and meekly going up to him.

"It's…it's okay," he says uncertainly. "I mean, it was kinda my fault too….friends?" he says, sticking his hand up. Vaughn eyes him like he still thinks his attire is ridiculous, but sighs and puts his hand in the chef's.

At the gesture, Pierre lights up all over and begins dragging him back towards his house.

"Great! Now that we're friends let's all go cook something wonderful together!" the happy chef says, practically bouncing to his house. Vaughn turns his head and gives me a look that says, 'Help me' but I just stick my tongue out at him and follow behind.

xxxXXXxxXXXxxxXXXxxxxXXXxxx

"Like this?" Vaughn asks Pierre, looking confused while he holds the whisk lightly in his hands. Pierre nods emphatically and Vaughn grins a little bit as he gently begins to make the icing for the cake that Pierre's making.

Watching the two of them is nearly killing me with all the adorableness of it all; Vaughn's wearing an apron of all things, and Pierre is so short standing next to him….it's too much.

My heart couldn't take it, standing in between them, so I've settled myself down to watch them, although I'm starting to think that's a bad idea too. Vaughn obviously knows what he's doing, but he seems to be a bit rusty, so he turns to Pierre every once in awhile to ask for advice.

Seeing Pierre reach up to adjust Vaughn's technique has me wanting to squeal at how adorable it all is. As if Vaughn can read my mind, he looks over and shoots me a smirk.

"Enjoying yourself, Chelsea?" he asks, as Pierre fusses over his batter. I don't want to give him the knowledge that I am, so I just look away like I'm bored and say, "Maybe."

When he sees me acting like that, his smirk grows before he walks over to where I am, still holding the bowl of white icing. Reaching down, he dips his finger into the sweet mixture and draws it out, offering the icing-covered finger to me.

"Want some?" he asks in a low, nearly sensual voice. I know that I'm turning bright red when he just smirks at me again and brings the finger up to his own mouth, delicately licking the icing off.

I'm about to hit him and tell him off for being such a weirdo when Pierre screams from the other side of the room, "I WANT SOME!"

With that, I fall off the couch laughing, the mood Vaughn's created gone while Pierre comes over and tries to taste some icing, while Vaughn just complains that he's interrupting. The chef doesn't seem to understand and just shrugs, reaching for the bowl. Vaughn holds the bowl high in the air and Pierre jumps to reach it, Vaughn laughing while Pierre struggles to reach the sweet stuff.

I don't know what I would do, if I didn't have such good people in my life.

* * *

**Pierre...and Vaughn...cooking together...it made me feel all happy inside just thinking about it XD So I hope you felt that way too, when you imagined it!**

I'll try and put up extra chapters tomorrow in honor of the 4th of July, so look forward to it!  
Thanks for reading, and leave any thoughts you want!


	35. Chapter 35

**In honor of independence day, I have put up not one, not two, not three or four...but FIVE chapters! :D Yesterday was a good day, to say the least XD  
Anyways, enjoy :) **

* * *

_~Vaughn~_

Maybe I was pushing it, trying to flirt with her the day after something like THAT happened, but regardless it's nice to see her blush and smile like that.

That's starting to become the reason I come back to this island so early now, and try to stay as long as I can. At this point, I'm seriously deliberating asking the company to switching me here full time instead of part time.

While she laughs and teases Pierre, who just pouts, I smile at the two gently. As weird as it seems, I'm actually enjoying myself; between the two of them, I can't help but want to be happy.

Pierre's surprisingly nice, considering how terribly I treated him ever since I first met him. And Chelsea's…well, she's Chelsea, and that's not going to change anytime soon.

Although, I'm starting to think that I ought to go back to Mineral Town and talk to her parents. I don't know why, but I kind of want her to see them again…

My thoughts are interrupted when the bowl of icing is flipped into my face.

As it drops to the ground with a thud, I glare at Chelsea and Pierre. Pierre's staring at me with horror on his face, like he's expecting me to blow up, and Chelsea is grinning at me cheekily, ready for a fight.

Slowly, I bring my hand up to my face and wipe it out of my eyes. Then, I pounce on Chelsea and rub it on her face while she screams and laughs, trying to push me off while Pierre begins squeaking something about his couch.

Chelsea and I are too busy fighting to listen, and Pierre's about to sigh, sad that he's forgotten when I turn to him and grin, throwing some his way. It becomes a full-fledged food fight in a matter of minutes, and the three of us end up laughing by the end of it, despite the fact that we're all coated in food and have made a mess of everything, which I just know we'll have to help clean up later.

I don't think I've laughed like this since my mom died.

xxxXXXxxXXXxxxxXXXxxxxXXXxxxx

We're walking back to Mirabelle's when Chelsea says something that surprises me.

"You're a lot different to how you used to be," she tells me, skipping ahead by a few steps while I follow behind, holding onto her vest for her.

"Wha-?" I say, earning a look from her that tells me how stupid she thinks I am for not getting it.

"You smile now. And you're friendlier." She says, like it's so obvious. And maybe it should be, but I can't take all the credit; if it wasn't for her dragging me to places and trying to pry into my life, I probably wouldn't be like this.

Is it so bad, to be this happy when I haven't felt like this in so long?

Chelsea smiles and is about to say something when she her entire face turns white with fear. I'm going to ask her what's wrong when I turn and see who it is.

It's the prince.

He stands there, the wind blowing his hair out of his clear blue eyes, which watch her with a steady, solemn look. The atmosphere has changed and it's like the calm before a storm.

He's never given off much of a presence until now.

Will looks at me coldly, before turning to Chelsea.

"I wanted to apologize," he says, as cordial to her as ever, "But do not mistake me. I meant what I said yesterday-I love you. And intend to prove it to you, one way or another."

I sigh; he actually listened to me. He's showing his true self now, the same way I seem to be showing mine.

Of course, it doesn't mean I like it.

Chelsea just grabs my hand, ducking her head.

"Come on," she urges me, pulling me towards the building and turning her back on her former friend.

xxxXXXxxxXXXxxxXXXxxxxXXXxxx

After being lectured by Mirabelle for getting ourselves into such a mess, she sends us both upstairs, where we part ways to clean up. I get in the shower and clean up, hearing Julia's exclamation as Chelsea shows up in her room, no doubt asking to borrow some clothes.

By the time she's finished showering, I'm downstairs in the kitchen, drinking a soda.

"Guess who!" she giggles, all but jumping on my back to cover my eyes with her tiny hands. I just sigh and set my drink down.

"I don't know, a harvest sprite?" I say sarcastically, pulling away and turning around to see her grinning at me happily.

"Don't be silly, I'm taller than that!" she says, reaching her arms up like she's expecting a hug. I turn away, breathing in and out of my nose to calm myself.

Stop it, Vaughn. Yes, she's cute. Yes, she's right here asking you for a hug. Don't go and sap out because of it.

Instead of hugging her, I lean back against the counter and close my eyes, bringing my soda up to take another sip. I nearly choke at her next words.

"What did you say to Will?" she asks, and I sputter before looking at her, clutching at my chest.

"What are you talking about?"

"I know," her eyes plead with me, "I know you said something because he's acting different. He's not the same. What did you say to him?"


	36. Chapter 36

_~Chelsea~_

I watch as he nearly drops his soda when I say those words.

For the way he acts so hardcore, he's pretty easy to read once you get to know him. Vaughn just mumbles a bit before finally giving me a straight answer.

"I just told him to stop pretending to be something he's not. He keeps pretending to be your friend…but those aren't his intentions at all. Maybe they were at first, but they've changed.

I also told him not to touch you." He says, avoiding my gaze.

What happened with Will isn't something that I like to think about, but I'm shocked to hear that it seems like Will's been hiding something.

"What do you mean, 'stop pretending'?" I ask. Vaughn just grunts and mutters more into his soda, like I can hear him when he does that. With a frown, I reach up and pull his shirt. "Stop mumbling and tell me!" I say, and he gives me a look before sighing and talking again.

"Well obviously, he's not as innocent and nice as you'd like to think he is. He's not as nice as he likes to think he is. He likes you, and kept trying to tell you in other ways but apparently," and here he gives me a look, "You were too oblivious to even notice. And that pissed him off, and that anger is probably what's fueling him right now."

xxxxxXXXxxxxXXXXxxxXXXxxxxXXXxxxx

The next day, Sabrina stops by my house. She seems troubled, and I don't know why at first until she gives me a look that tells me she knows everything that happened with Will and me. Silently, I let her in and we sit at my table avoiding each other's gaze before she speaks.

"I apologize, for what my cousin did," she says in her meek way. I'm about to tell her it's not her fault when she takes off her glasses and stares at them with a sad smile on her face.

"I've always told Will that he needs to learn to control his impulses, but he has such trouble doing so. Ever since we've been young…he has been the type who would throw fits when he didn't get what he wanted, or try to do things by force in order to have things end his way. That's probably why he did what he did to you.

I promised him I wouldn't tell anyone why he really came here, but I feel as if I owe you an explanation anyways. He isn't as nice as he pretends to be; that's all part of his façade. He was actually very rebellious, and his parents asked my dad if he could take Will in for a bit and watch over him, help him with his attitude.

Before he left home, there was an awful lot of trouble between him and his parents. I don't know all of it, but I think that they told him he's going to be engaged to someone of their choice if he didn't find someone soon.

And it seems he's decided to pick you, because he thinks that you're adventurous and like danger, and Will LIVES for danger. He may not have seemed like it at first, but honestly he was trying to play the part of shining knight in order to get girls to fall for him, so he could have his pick of the lot.

I feel terrible, because I let him pretend away his personality but I couldn't do much since I'd promised him, and I DO owe him for the way he's been helping out my dad lately.

I've told him to stay on his yacht and cool his head, to really think about what he did. When he loses his head, he becomes a totally different person, and it's nearly impossible for him to control himself. He'll come by in a few days, and explain himself more. Don't be afraid of him, Chelsea. He won't do something like that to you again." Having said her piece, she stands up and leaves me with an apologetic look on her face.

My head sinks into my hands. I can't deal with the thought that everything's so different, so awkward and strained now. How am I to deal with all this by myself?

I hear a knock at my door and look up when it swings open. It's Vaughn, of course. He's actually in his normal clothes for once, and he holds his hand out to me.

"Hey, let's go somewhere." He says. It's so weird to think that now he's the one who's trying to cheer ME up instead of the way things used to be. But I don't want to stay here anymore and overthink things.

xxxxXXXxxxxxXXXxxxxxXXXxxxx

When we get to the mystic islands, he asks me something I would have never expected.

"Do you want to come with me, when I leave this week?"

I stare at him uncomprehendingly at first, and he coughs and looks away, pulling his hat down.

"I don't want you running into Will, so soon after that, and I don't want you obsessing about your problems by yourself either. Besides, I've the week off so I thought I could show you my old home, and…I thought we could go to Mineral Town.

I found your parents."

* * *

**Okay, explanation time by the way; Vaughn did NOT knock Will's lights out (although he very much would have liked to, he resisted the impulse, trying to be the better person). He DID however, tell him that he could see through his lies and his terrible mask of a personality (it became obvious to him when he said "I hate you" so vulgarly; I mean honestly, if someone's genuinely nice they'd never say that aloud, let alone to your face and with such malice).  
**

**Of course, Vaughn doesn't want to TELL her all that because he doesn't even like bringing up that subject around Chelsea, and he doesn't want her to know that he knew the whole time anyways and was just hoping that he was wrong. **

**Alright, next chapter XD **


	37. Chapter 37

_~Vaughn~_

Chelsea seems shocked at the idea that I went out of my way to go and find her parents. I'm surprised though, when she doesn't yell at me for it but just sinks to the ground, clutching at her vest.

"How…how are they?" she whispers. I'm half afraid to tell her that they haven't gotten over it, but at the same time I feel like that fact might just be the one thing to convince her to see them again.

"They miss you," is what I finally settle for, deciding it's probably the best thing to say at the moment. Chelsea shoots me a look, seeming to calculate something.

"You didn't talk to them, did you," she counters, and I wince. She's caught me. Then again, even if I'd wanted to talk to them I couldn't have. How do you just go up to someone and try to hide a secret like that?

When I don't answer, she just gives me a smile, sinking her head into her knees. "I don't know if I can go back there…"

I kneel down next to her and put my hand on her back, noticing that she's trembling. I've upset her, which is the last thing I wanted to do, but at least I've finally told her.

"You won't be alone you know. Did you think I was going to let you out of my sight?" I say, and she stops shaking to look up at me, a grin suddenly on her face.

"Oh that's right, you're very careful with what's _yours,_ aren't you Vaughn?" she says, and I leap back with a blush.

"Wha-wha-" I stutter angrily, and she giggles before getting up and taking slow steps towards me while I back away.

"If I remember correctly…you told Will not to touch what's yours. Since when did I become yours?" she asks with a teasing grin on her face, although I can tell that underneath that she's actually curious as to what I meant by it.

I don't want to run away from my feelings, but at the same time I don't want to interrupt the delicate balance we have now. We're at the line between friendship and something more; did I make a mistake in saying that?

Deciding to just go for it, I say, "You became mine as soon as I decided to let you in on my secrets. So deal with it. You belong to me."

I'm actually worried for a second when she falls quiet, but then I'm surprised when she appears to have a pleased blush on her face.

"When you put it that way I've got no choice, do I?" she says lightheartedly, grabbing my hand and pulling me towards the ferry.

"Where are we going?"

"My house. I have to pack, silly," Chelsea tells me, pulling me along.

xxxXXXXxxxxXXXXxxxXXXxxxxXXXXxxx

I promised Chelsea I'd do this, so there's no point in me trying to avoid it.

Slowly, I walk up to the counter to where Julia has her back turned and clear my throat.

"Yeah, Vaughn?" she asks, not even bothering to turn around and look at me.

Pulling my hat down to cover my face, I ask, "Can you take care of Chelsea's farm for about a week?"

As soon as I ask that, she whirls around to look at me with a stunned expression.

"WHY?" she questions, and I clear my throat again before mumbling, "Because she's coming with me…"

Julia has surprisingly sharp ears, and she catches my mumbles. She drops the spatula she had in hand and looks hard at me until I meet her gaze.

"What?" I ask, wondering why she hasn't said anything.

"You're taking Chelsea…with you….for a week?"

"Yeah, so answer the question already."

"No, I'm not going to answer your question until you answer some of mine."

I roll my eyes and bring a hand up to my face, annoyed. This is exactly why I told Chelsea that it would have been better if she asked Julia; now I have to be subject to the biggest interrogation of my life.

"First off," she begins, "How do you feel about her?"

Like I'm going to reveal that. I can't even describe it myself. I know I like her, but even saying that's a stretch, considering that sometimes it feels like more than just a simple crush.

"We're good…friends. We're friends." I grunt, but by the look she gives me I can tell I haven't fooled her.

She shrugs though, and leans on the counter to look me in the eyes.

"I trust you with her, Vaughn," she admits, "and so because of that I'll take care of the farm while you entertain her or whatever. But when I say I trust you…."

I look up to see she's stood up and has her hands on her hips.

"I also trust you to be straightforward with her. TELL HER how you feel. Because right now, it's so obvious between you two that even Taro can tell, and he's the most dense person on the island, I swear. So just man up, and be honest with her, okay?"

xxxXXXXxxxxXXXxxxxXXXXXXxxxx

As we board the boat together, she looks back at the island uncertainly. I look at her, before looking back at the island as well.

"You're not changing your mind on me now, are you?" I ask, leaning forward to whisper in her ear. I smirk when she jumps about five feet in the air and clutches at her chest, turning around to look at me with pink cheeks.

"Just shut up and find me a good seat," she mutters. With a smile, I take her bag from her and lead her towards the bow of the boat.


	38. Chapter 38

_~Chelsea~_

As much as I hate to admit it, I'm really excited about this whole trip. I'm nervous about the thought that I'll be going back to Mineral Town, sure, but the idea that I'll get to see where Vaughn grew up is kind of intriguing.

Not to mention, this whole situation just screams of how much I mean to him. I honestly don't believe he would be this way right now if he didn't have SOME feelings for me…and I think he hinted at it as well the way he's going around claiming I'm his.

Not that I mind that, though.

I'm about to turn to him and say something when I hear a light snore and feel something heavy leaning against me. He's fallen asleep.

"Vaughn, gerroff," I say in a muffled voice, and I push him a little so that he's not so much crushing me as he is just leaning against me. While he snores lightly, I can't help but give him a gentle look. I'm sure that he normally isn't this tired, but the fact that he's been showing up early to come to the island more and more means that he's probably been working hard on the other islands, wherever they are.

It shows that he's trying his hardest to get back to me.

Settling down, I slip my hand into his and blush a little when his fingers entwine with mine, despite the fact that he's sleeping.

It's warm.

xxxXXXxxxxXXXXxxxXXXxxxxXXXxxxx

I wake him up when we get to a port in the city, and from there he gets on a horse that's waiting for him in what appears to be a stable of the company he works for.

"Come on," he says, holding his hand down to me while he sits atop the animal. "We've got to ride for a bit before we make it to Konohana, and from there to Bluebell."

I've no horse of my own, and have never ridden one, but the idea that I'll have an excuse to hold onto him has me reaching up. Before I know it, he's pulled me up easily into the saddle in front of him, his arms coming around me as he holds the reigns.

"Hold onto the saddle horn," he instructs, and I grip it tightly before he sets us off at a light trot.

As we pass through the city, I can't help but cringe. Seeing that, he looks down at me and frowns.

"What, do I smell that bad?" he asks with a smirk on his face, and I grin back before gesturing at the city.

"It's not you, although you ARE pretty rank," I tease, earning a mock frown from him. "It's just this city. This is where I lived until I was about sixteen and decided to travel and find a good farm of my own. I hate it here." I pout.

When he sees I'm pouting, his grip on the reigns tighten and he says, "Can I get us through here faster then?"

I'm a little nervous at the idea that the horse will be galloping, but I'm not about to let him know that now. Straightening up, I look at him and say, "Please do."

I squeak in surprise when his arms seem to close in tighter around me and he urges the horse onto a gallop.

xxxXXXxxxXXXxxxXXXXxxxXXXxxx

"Welcome to Konohana," he says, stopping the horse at an animal shop near the entrance to what I'm assuming is a town. Jumping off, he offers me a hand down which I take. When he sets me on the ground, I nearly stagger into him as I try to get used to walking again.

"It takes some getting used to, I know," he says with a grin, letting me lean on him. I'm starting to think that he's enjoying all the closeness this trip is bringing. Before either of us can move though, the door opens and I see an older man with a few tattoos and a dark ponytail step out of the house.

He's whistling happily, but when he opens his eyes and sees us he freezes and drops the sack of animal feed that was on his shoulder. While I straighten up and hold onto Vaughn's arm, the cowboy begins stuttering.

"Uncle, I-I brought a friend," he mutters, seeming embarrassed that he's been caught holding onto a girl. While he blushes and pulls down his hat, I turn to see that his uncle is sizing me up. Slowly, the man turns and says, "Georgia, you'd better get out here, we've got some guests."

"Guests?" I hear a woman say, before an older woman with bright hair steps out, holding a dishcloth in one hand. "Kana, whatever are you talking abou-"

She stops when she sees me and Vaughn standing there, Vaughn avoiding their gaze while I stare back, thinking to myself that these are the people that raised him.

It's quiet for all of two minutes before the woman's face breaks into a large, happy smile, and she comes forward to take my hand.

"Hello dear! I'm Georgia, I'm Vaughn's aunt. And who might you be?"

I stumble a bit as I step towards her and say, "I'm Chelsea. I'm a…friend of Vaughn's."

Vaughn just grunts as his aunt pats his arm and gives him a look that has even me blushing. Then, pulling back she puts her hands up to her cheeks, and squeal, "Oh Vaughn, you should have TOLD us ahead of time you were bringing such a cute girl back with you! We would've prepared an extra room!"

I snicker under my breath when I see Vaughn's horrified expression. Clearly, this is what he wanted his aunt to say.

"I'm going to show her the town, and then we're going back to my house," he grunts, grabbing my hand and tugging me along behind him.

"Wait! But Vaugghnnn!" His aunt cries after us. I turn back and wave, getting a wave back from his aunt and smile from his uncle.

* * *

**I can just imagine Vaughn's face through this entire process...like he's in pain XD And he's kind of regretting stopping near their house when he could have just ridden on**


	39. Chapter 39

_~Vaughn~_

Worst mistake of my life, ever. Why did I think it would be a good idea to even go close to my aunt and uncle's house with Chelsea? They're never going to let me live this down; and by the look on her face, Chelsea won't let me live it down either.

"So Vaughn," she says slyly, her hand tightening in mine while I pull her along, "Your aunt seemed really surprised to see me. It seems she didn't think you were capable of making friends with 'such a cute girl' let alone bringing her home."

I scowl, earning an even bigger grin from her.

"Just…just shut up and enjoy the town, okay?" I mutter, wishing that the last five minutes hadn't just happened.

When she doesn't say anything back, I turn to see an awed expression on her face.

"How cool…" she whispers, taking in the traditional Japanese setting. I shrug. Konohana has the most relaxing atmosphere one could imagine, to be totally honest, but I'm so used to it that it doesn't really amaze me so much anymore.

Chelsea, on the other hand, seems amazed that this place even exists. While she examines the buildings, I see Rahi come out from the town hall. He seems surprised to see me, before he straightens up and walks over to me with a grin.

"Vaughn! Man, it's been awhile!" he says, pounding my back in a friendly manner. It's funny to think that even when he became mayor and I became just an animal trader he still treats me like an equal, but then again we are childhood friends. Of sorts.

I smile weakly and scuff at the ground. "Yeah, it's been a bit. How's the town looking, mayor?" I ask, watching as his face lights up with a pleased look.

"Everything's great, Vaughn. Actually, Ying's expecting! We already announced it to the rest of the town a few weeks ago, but since I haven't seen you for a good season I didn't get the chance to tell you."

I'm a little surprised at the thought that she's expecting, but then again I shouldn't be. After all, the two have been married for about three years now, and haven't had a kid. Actually, it's kinda weird that they didn' t have one earlier, now that I think about it.

While I mull over everything in silence, Rahi notices Chelsea, who's somehow made her way to the river without my noticing.

"Ah! A guest?" Rahi says, and I quickly grab his arm and pull him back.

"She's with me," I say hurriedly, "So don't worry about her."

Rahi gives me a look that nearly mirrors my aunt's.

"Vaughn…is she…?"

I don't say anything, and he breaks out into a grin. Continuing on the path, he waves good-bye to me before calling over his shoulder, "Let me be the first to know, when you finally get things together. I'll see you around, Vaughn."

I curse under my breath; now that Rahi knows, the whole town is bound to find out before the end of the day. Honestly, I probably shouldn't care so much but the fact of the matter remains: I haven't even asked her the all-important question of "hey do you want to be something more than friends". Or something along those lines.

I'm actually not sure how to do this without somehow messing up.

When Chelsea runs over to me, I'm so lost in thought that I don't notice her until she leans against me, pulling on my vest and looking up at me in a concerned manner.

"Hey, are you okay?" she asks, and I snap out of my daze to pull at my hat.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Did you want to do something? There's a tea shop over there…" my voice trails off as she purses her lips, thinking hard about what she wants to do. She seems to settle on something as she nods her head, before she looks up at me.

"I want to see where you grew up."

xxxxXXXxxxXXXXxxxXXXxxxx

"You're leaving the horse?" she cries, seeming worried about the animal that still stands outside my uncle's shop. I shrug and keep walking, while she trots alongside me.

"It'll be fine, it's used to being left wherever. Besides, my uncle will end up taking care of it anyways, he loves horses."

She falls silent as we near the tunnel entrance, before she full out stops. I nearly trip as she grabs the back of my shirt to stop me.

"We're going…in THERE?" she says nervously. I turn back to look at her tiny figure.

"Y…es?" I say, not sure why she's hesitating.

"But what if there's…what if there's BATS?" she asks, and I suddenly realize that she actually looks worried about the possibility of there being bats in the cave. I stare at her, incredulous.

"You don't seriously mean to tell me you're scared of BATS when you're perfectly fine with a lot of other dangerous things?"

She glares at me and shudders, before rubbing her arms.

"Bats are different," she complains, and I roll my eyes, but turn around and sink down so that we're eye to eye.

"If it'll make you feel better, I'll give you a reward when we get to the other side," I say, by way of incentive, although I've no idea what to give her. When she hears my offer though, she thinks about it for all of two seconds before agreeing, grabbing my hand again like it's the most natural thing in the world for the two of us to be holding hands. Although, I suppose at this point it is.

"Alright, as long as it's whatever I want," she says, and I close my eyes and smile.

"So demanding. But fine. I'll give you whatever you want."

xxxXXXxxxxXXXxxxxXXXxxxx

We make it to the other side without much incident, although it was pretty funny how every time I yelled the word, "Bat" and pointed she'd flinch and grab my coat, trying to inch closer to me.

"You're so mean, teasing me like that," she pouts as we exit the tunnel and a cool blast of night air hits us.

"Whatever, you like it," I counter. She just sticks her tongue out at me as we start walking towards my house. We're halfway to the path when we come across the church.

"Oh!" she says, leaving my side to run up to it, staring at it. "It's beautiful!"

It's about the same to me as the one that Nathan built on the mystic islands, but she seems to find more wonder in this one.

"You know, the one on the mystic islands is kind of similar to this one…after all, the same preacher-" I say, but I get no further when she whirls to me, grabbing my hand.

"Let's go inside!"

"Wait, Chelsea-"

She doesn't listen to me of course; she all but kicks down the doors and runs inside, leaving me to clean up the mess she's left behind her.

I finish shutting the door and screwing the knob back on when I hear a light giggle. Turning around, I see a figure all clothed in what looks like a white curtain.

"I'm the ghost of happiness….I'm going to get you Vaughn, and haunt you for the rest of your days!" she wails, and I snicker before walking over to her and tugging the curtain off her face, so that it's still on her but isn't covering her.

"Ghosts aren't happy, they're the wandering dead," I tell her, but she just rolls her eyes.

"They could be happy…they could be happy that they're dead and don't have to suffer anymore."

"Please. I'm begging you. Stop trying to be creepy and let's just go already before someone catches us here and I end up covering for both of us, since you're just a visitor."

She starts protesting of course, but I ignore all her complaints and lean down, tugging at the curtain. When I do that, she blushes.

"Hey, stop that," she chides, looking up at me. "What are you doing?"

I continue to tug absent mindedly on it, leaning in even closer.

"You look kind of like you're wearing a wedding dress, with all that white," I say, not even thinking about what's coming out of my mouth.

She's quiet, and I think that once again I've messed things up when she whispers, "You still owe me something for getting through the tunnel, remember?"

I look at her, wondering what she's getting at.

"Yeah? Why, do you know what you want?"

Her blue eyes meet mine, and they've never been brighter as she says, "Yeah. I know what I want; I've wanted it for a long time now.

I want you to kiss me."

* * *

**Don't hate me for the cliffhanger!**

I promise, it's coming...it's coming tomorrow so you won't have to wait too long XD

**I hope you enjoyed, and leave thoughts if you like! Stay tuned!**


	40. Chapter 40

_~Chelsea~_

Goddess. What's coming out of my mouth right now? It's like I'm just letting my mouth run, and now things are going to be awkward... I have to fix this, and fix this fast.

"Ah, I was just kidding," I say quickly, waving my hands while he ducks his head and stares at the ground, hiding his face from me. "I was just-"

I'm interrupted when I find that he's kissing me, just as I've asked. His eyes are closed, and his hands rest gently on my hips as my eyes widen at this move of his.

As he tilts his head to deepen the kiss, I close my eyes as well and take him in.

He tastes sweet; like vanilla with just a hint of caramel, a taste I never expected. And he's warm too, as he pulls my body to his carefully while my senses are filled with his scent.

He's trying so hard to be gentle. I can feel his heartbeat through his shirt, like he's not sure of what he's doing either but he doesn't care.

He's really enjoying this.

With a muffled sigh, I let my arms find their way around his neck, then up to his hair where I push off his hat. He doesn't seem to care, his arms completely snaking their way around my waist as he lifts me off the ground by a few inches.

We stay like that for awhile, before he finally breaks away, his face more red than I've ever seen it before.

"Did…did you enjoy your reward?" he asks, scrambling frantically to put his hat back on. I smile, tilting my head as I watch him fumble with his hat, first putting it on backwards, then nearly bending it as he plays with it in his hands.

"I did." I say simply, closing my eyes and leaning into him.

"….Good. Let's go, then," he says, his voice gruffer than usual; a sure sign that he's trying to cover up his blush.

It looks like coming on this trip was worth it after all.

xxxXXXxxxXXXxxxxXXXxxxxXXXxxxx

The little yellow house is beautiful. In fact, the whole farm is. Everything looks so picturesque…like it's been painted into this scenery.

While I take it in, Vaughn coughs.

"It's cold," he fusses over me, "let's get you inside."

I smile, and the two of us walk towards the door, where he ushers me inside.

As I take in the small area, I can't help but wonder at how quaint it all is. It's comforting, this small area. While he mutters something about making tea and disappears off into the kitchen, I look around some more and notice a small picture frame that sitting on the shelf at the end of what appears to be his bed.

Picking it up, I take a closer look.

The woman in the picture is beautiful; her eyes are the same shade of violet as Vaughn's, but her hair falls about her in soft brown waves. Her smile crinkles her eyes a bit, but she looks so happy that I smile when I look at her.

My gaze shifts over to the man in the picture and my breath catches in my throat. I know now where Vaughn got his hair, not to mention his good looks. His father is tall and lean, with stormy gray eyes that are only intensified by the lens he wears. Unlike Vaughn's mother, his is not a smile of happiness; it is a smile of patience, and his hand rests on his wife's shoulder, showing how precious she is to him.

It seems as if this picture was taken before they had Vaughn, for I don't see a child in the picture, but nonetheless I notice that the woman has her hand over her stomach, as if alluding to the child that's forming there.

While I stare, Vaughn comes out of the kitchen and sets something down on the table before coming up behind me.

We stand there in silence until I ask, "What were their names?"

"Lillian and Mikhail. Drink your tea, otherwise it'll go to waste."

I smile and set the frame down carefully; for such a tough guy, sometimes Vaughn can be just like a housewife.

As I sip at the tea, he looks out the window with a blush on his face.

"Chelsea. I like you, and you like me; if that kiss was any indication. Should we…?"

I can't help but smile at how tongue tied he seems over the idea of suggesting we become a couple. Setting the mug down, I walk over to him and take his hand, leaning against him.

"I thought we already were?" I tease. "I know what you are to me, and you know what I am to you. Do you really need to ask?"


	41. Chapter 41

_~Vaughn~_

She pouts as I lock up the house, pulling her along behind me. We've spent the whole week here talking and enjoying each other's company; if I didn't know any better I'd say she's climbed nearly every tree on the mountain already.

She nearly killed herself too, laughing while she swung on the branches and I worried on the ground.

We haven't kissed since that night at the church. I'm a little surprised at how smoothly it all went, and somehow I feel like if I kiss her again it'll all fall apart. Sure, I know that's not the case, but right now I'm still trying to get used to the idea that I'm actually in a meaningful relationship.

I'm also trying to get used to the idea that now I'm going to be even more worried than normal when I leave her alone on her farm during my work.

As we head back to the boat, she boards it with a determined look on her face. She knows that before we go back to the Sunshine Islands, there's one more place we need to go first.

Mineral Town.

xxxXXXxxxXXXxxxXXXxxx

"Ugh, this place is even creepier than I remember," she shudders, cringing into me as we walk through the empty streets. I can't say I disagree with her; the music is still faintly playing as we roam, taking in everything.

She insisted on wearing some sort of disguise, not wanting her parents to know until she saw how they were doing without her. It seems that if they're doing well, she'll not butt in on their lives, although I told her countless times already that they're doing the exact opposite of well.

They're doing terribly, to be frank.

Anyways, her disguise is just as terrible. All she's done is pull her bandanna over the lower half of her face, like she's some kind of thief. She sticks out like a sore thumb, although when I told her that she stomped on my foot and stormed off, so I haven't brought it up again.

We make it to the farm without being interrupted by anyone, which is just as well.

It's quiet, and as she runs to the edge of the field she pulls the bandanna off, so that it rests around her neck the same way mine does.

She stares at the field for a minute before turning on her heel and walking away quickly. I catch her arm, wondering what she's doing when she pulls away, glaring at me.

"I've seen it; I've finished what I came here for. Let's go."

When I give her a look, she glares even more.

"What?" she sasses me, and I'm ready to lecture her when the door to the house swings open and we both freeze. Together, we watch as Claire walks outside and stretches, before turning her head in surprise to see us.

First, she looks at me with wonder in her eyes before her eyes wander down to Chelsea. When they see her, they widen drastically, and she staggers, clutching at the door of the house.

"Cliff….Cliff come out here," she calls weakly, and I'm about to step to her aid when the man from the church steps outside, putting his arm around her.

"Claire, what's…?" his eyes drift up to meet mine, before he also sees Chelsea.

Chelsea just stares back, although I feel her tense up.

No one moves or says anything for a minute, and I'm about to clear my throat when Claire staggers forward slowly.

"Chel…sea? Is that you?" she whispers, her hand reaching out slowly to caress Chelsea's cheek. At the gesture, Chelsea flinches and turns her head away, causing Claire's hand to shrink back.

As Claire's eyes fill with tears, Chelsea starts trembling, and I pull her so that she's behind me. When her hands clutch at the back of my vest, I close my eyes and look up to meet Cliff's eyes.

"I'm Vaughn," I say, holding my hand out. Cliff takes it uncertainly, coming up beside his wife to put his arm protectively around her as well.

"Cliff," he says curtly, shaking my hand.

We fall into silence again until I turn my head slightly and mutter down, "Chelsea. Come on."

She stops shaking, and looks up at me defiantly. It's as if she's telling me there's no way I can make her do this. She's acting like me reuniting her with her family is the biggest mistake in the world.

When I don't stop looking at her, she finally sighs before meekly peeking out from behind me.

"It's me…I'm Chelsea." She mutters, and when she says that Claire nearly loses use of her legs.

xxxXXXXxxxXXXxxxxXXxxxxx

The four of us are sitting at the table inside now, me and Chelsea on one side and Claire and Cliff on the other. It's almost like we're having a standoff, but the way that Claire keeps looking at Chelsea while her eyes water up has me feeling bad for her.

I can't stand it when women cry.

Chelsea looks cool and calm on the outside, but I can tell that she's freaking out because she keeps clenching my hand under the table, her nails biting into my hand.

There's no way I'm walking away unscathed from this.

Finally, Chelsea clears her throat and speaks.

"I…I missed you." She says, surprising me. The way she kept avoiding this has me wondering if she didn't just run away because she wanted to. At Chelsea's words, Claire starts sniffling even more.

"I missed you too," she sobs, "Chelsea, why did you leave? Where have you been, and why didn't you come back sooner?"

Chelsea grits her teeth.

"Stop crying," she snaps, causing Claire to blink in shock, while Cliff leans forward with a stern look.

"Don't talk to your mother like that," he scolds, causing Chelsea to shrink back in her chair. Under the table, her nails dig even deeper and I bite the inside of my cheek to keep from letting out any noises that will indicate I'm in pain.

Chelsea pouts and looks away.

"Sorry." She mutters, "I just…I don't want Mom to cry. I mean, that's why I left. I thought that if I was gone, everyone would stop harassing her and just let things be."

Claire looks at her daughter, dazed. "You left because you thought I was being harassed? Chelsea, I was fine, no one said an unkind thing to me just because Elli's son-"

"Liar."

Claire freezes as Chelsea looks up at her, a dark look in her eyes.

"You're lying, Mom. I saw them. I saw them push you around. I watched as they wouldn't let you go to the Supermarket in peace; grabbing your basket and throwing it to the ground, shoving you to the floor while you did nothing.

I watched as you went to your shipping basket in the afternoons only to find your products had been ruined by someone who had opened it up and smashed all the eggs and spilled the milk.

I heard you crying, every night."

Claire's shaking as every word of Chelsea's hits her like a blade. There's silence as Chelsea finishes, before Cliff looks at his wife with a tortured look in his eyes.

"They did that? To you?" he whispers, going to take her hand, but she draws it away. This seems to make him angry, and leans towards his wife saying, "Claire! Why didn't you say anything?"

It's as if that one question has opened a deep dam inside the petite blonde; she starts to yell.

"How could I say anything, when you wouldn't even listen?! How could I do anything, when you didn't look twice at me!? Cliff, when James died you acted like all the scorn we were receiving was nothing at all. You lost yourself in your work, and you never came home, you just went to the church like you still do!

You blocked it all out; so how could I bring it up?"

Everything silent again before Chelsea sighs, and stands up.

"You and dad obviously have some things to talk about," she says pointedly, "And Vaughn and I have a ferry to catch."

Both her parents stand up too though, Claire reaching across the table.

"You can't leave! It's barely been an hour, and we haven't learned anything! How can you just leave again like nothing's happened?" she cries, flinching when Chelsea avoids her hand and edges closer to me instead.

"I'll come back." She says, although the tone in her voice tells me that she rather wouldn't. "I'll come back another time. I promise."

* * *

**Yayyy, explanation time! XD**

**Alright, first off in answer to some of the reviews, YES she actually DID enjoy Bluebell it's just I didn't even put her visiting it in this story. Like...there's a port in the city (it's an unnamed city, really I've no idea what it should be or what to call it) and from the city you ride a little bit and you reach Konohana and then after that you reach the tunnel and then through the tunnel you reach Bluebell XD So no, they actually rode through a city, not one of the towns XD Also, when Chelsea ran away she grew up in the city, although she had help...which you will find more about in an upcoming chapter! This story isn't over yet, it's still got a ways to go before I think I'll be finished XD**

**Also, I'm changing the genre from romance/angst to romance/hurt/comfort cause now that I reread it, it seems a lot more like the other genre fits it more XD**

**Until next time! (p.s.-my updates all next week may be a little spastic and there might not be one every single day like normal, so continue to be patient! I might not have access to an internet all the time next week, so you'll have to wait some days, although I will update when I can) :)**


	42. Chapter 42

_~Chelsea~_

That's why going back was a big mistake. I didn't want to come back and find out that even when I left, things only got worse.

I left because I thought they'd get better. Sure, maybe it didn't make much sense, but to find out also that my dad didn't even change to support my mom…that makes me regret even coming back into their lives.

It seems as if I've only made things worse for them.

My thoughts are interrupted when Vaughn's hat flops onto my head. As I peek out from under it, I see him looking out at the water with a distant expression on his face, while his arm casually finds its way around my shoulder.

"Hold my hat for a little bit, okay?" he says gruffly, obviously regretting the fact that he took me to see his parents. Even he can tell that things are only worse.

Still, I don't want him to feel bad. He did it for me, and that fact is something that makes my entire week a little bit brighter.

"Thanks," I say, leaning against him and closing my eyes. "Thank you, Vaughn."

xxxXXXxxxXXXxxxXXXxxxxxxXXXxxxx

When we step onto the island, I'm yanked away from Vaughn immediately by Julia. As he stands on the beach with a look of disbelief on his face, she waves and calls back, "We're having a beach party before the last day of Fall! Meet us back here this afternoon!"

I giggle as I watch him lift a hand like he wants to stop her from dragging me off, and I wave. He seems to sigh in defeat and waves back.

As soon as we get to her room, she sits me down and locks the door.

"Now," she says, leaning forward from her seat on the floor, "don't tell my everything, cause I don't wanna know. Just answer some of my questions, okay?"

I hesitate, but nod anyways. After all, it's just Julia. She's the one friend who's constantly been faithful to me this entire time.

"Are you and Vaughn together now?" she asks, and I nod while she smirks at me.

"Good," she says, cleaning her nails, "Now you and I can go on double dates, since Elliot finally asked me."

"Whaaaaaat?" I squawk. "When did-?"

"Hush, I'm not done yet. I still have a few more questions."

"Julia, you can't just tell me something like that and expect me to be quiet about it."

"Well you better be quiet and answer my questions first, because I'm the one who took care of your farm and your cow all week and also covered for your butt as far as your shipping bin goes."

When she puts it like that, I've no choice but to submit to her whims. As I fall silent and look at her, she grins and proceeds with her interrogation.

"Did you kiss?" she wants to know. I don't want to tell her that! My first kiss was something intimate and not only that but there's no way I can describe it without blushing.

Of course, just thinking about it has me turning pink, and when she sees that she smirks even more before standing up and going over to her dresser, rummaging around in it.

"You'll want to wear this," she says, shoving a red bikini at me. "Also…Will is coming. He wants to talk to you."

I freeze at the thought until Julia reminds me that we'll all be there. While she's sure that he'll want to speak a little ways from the group, we'll still be in sight so if he tries anything everyone will get all up on him for it.

I smile at this, knowing that Vaughn will probably be shooting us looks the entire time.

"Alright, I'll talk to him," I agree, "but only because I know it's safe to."

Julia smiles at me.

"Like I'd let you get into danger with my knowing," she laughs, pulling out a blue swimsuit.

xxxXXXxxxxXXXXxxxxXXXxxxx

We all end up meeting at the beach at the same time. Pierre's there, sporting a giant picnic basket that holds dinner for everyone, and Denny and Lanna have brought fishing rods to loan out to those who want it.

And there stands Will, far away from the rest of the group as he stares out at the water, a brooding look on his face.

It's not like we all know what he did; in all honesty, the only ones who know what happened are me, Vaughn, Sabrina and Julia, and that's only because Vaughn was there and I told Julia myself. I never told Sabrina, but since she came and talked to me I'm assuming he told her.

Either way, he's acting like the whole group is rejecting him.

While they set up a table to put some things on, I walk over to him before Vaughn shows up and stops me.

"Will," I call, and he turns to look at me, the color of his eyes matching the ocean. "Let's talk."

xxxXXxxxxXXXXxxxxXXXXxxx

We stand at the pier, still in sight of everyone else but far enough that they definitely can't hear anything.

I'm silent, and he's the first to speak.

"I'm sorry, about how I acted. I deliberately acted differently around you, in order to make you think I was someone I'm not. But no one's ever liked the real me, so I've always found it best to just be someone else rather than be myself.

"I also didn't mean to force myself on you…even though," and here he shoots me a look, "I still like you. But there's nothing I can do about it, if you don't like me back. It took me awhile to deal with that thought, especially since I really hate the guy you're with anyways."

Nervously, I look at the dock before looking at him and speaking.

"I forgive you…if you promise to stop pretending, once and for all. I hate deceitfulness…it's despicable, and besides that you made me think that we were nothing but friends anyways. If you had even wanted to be something more, you should have been straight up with me in the first place.

"But it's over. It's part of the past now, and it's going to stay in the past. So can we just get over this whole thing and try to be friends again?"

Hesitantly, he takes my hand and shakes it. We smile at each other, and everything peaceful until something goes flying into Will, sending him off the dock.

I blink as Vaughn stands at the edge of the dock with his hands on his hips, staring at the water with one eyebrow raised as Will comes up to the surface and looks at him.

"I thought I told you to stay away from what's mine?" Vaughn says in a haughty voice, and Will just closes his eyes before smirking.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever," he says, sounding like he doesn't care at all. "I'm a prince, I can do whatever the hell I want. Don't think you can order me around, Peasant."

Vaughn just rolls his eyes and grabs my hand.

"You should really get rid of that big stick you have up your ass," he calls as Will starts swimming to the other side of the beach where everyone's started playing, "I think we might get along then."

Will just waves, and I giggle before running ahead, calling to Vaughn, "Come on, let's go!"


	43. Chapter 43

_~Vaughn~_

This is all Julia's fault. Of all things, did she have to wear a one piece herself and give Chelsea the two piece?

I'm having a hard time keeping my hands to myself, the way Chelsea looks right now, and it's only been about a week since we became something more than friends.

Things are going to get harder from here on out, I can just tell.

While I brood, sitting on a towel, Chelsea runs up to me and grabs my hand, tugging me towards the water.

"Come on," she says, "we need another person for water volleyball and Natalie doesn't want to play, she just wants to referee and keep score."

"What's the prize?" I ask, letting her drag me along despite the fact that I really don't want to go.

"The winners don't have to clean up!"

Okay, suddenly I've found a lot more motivation to play this game.

xxxXXXxxxXXXXxxxxXXXXXxxx

We end up winning, since my team just put me in front of the net and had me block everything. It also wasn't all that hard, considering that Pierre was on the other team and he insisted on trying to spike the ball every time it came into contact with him.

That was actually kind of amusing, to be totally honest.

After dinner, we all set up a bonfire and sit around it. Everyone seems to have enjoyed the day, and even I have to admit I had fun.

We're all sitting there when someone brings up the idea that we all dress up tomorrow, for the Pumpkin festival.

"Isn't that for kids?" Will says with some scorn, but Julia just laughs and elbows him.

"So? We're sort of kids," she says with a grin, sticking her tongue out at him. "Besides, if you boys don't want to dress up you don't have to, but me and the other girls will. Right Chelsea?"

Chelsea grins at her best friend from across the bonfire and nods emphatically.

"Dressing up is always fun!" she says, and I can't help but smile at how much she resembles a little kid right now; she's in my sweater after having stolen it from me, complaining about how cold it is. It hangs loose on her, the sleeves far too long for her arms, although it isn't as if she cares.

I wonder what she'll end up being then, for the pumpkin festival?

xxxXXxxxXXxxxxXXXxxxxXXXxxx

I end up at Pierre's house the next day, helping him to make sweets for the kids that will be showing up a little bit later at the house.

Originally, I had been planning to just relax in my room all day but I was ambushed by the little chef when he burst into my room and sat on me until I said I'd get up and help him.

Being friends with him is seriously like having a little sibling; which is probably why Chelsea absolutely adores him. It's so obvious, her thought process sometimes.

We're halfway through the baking process when Denny bursts in the room, panting. Both Pierre and I look up, and I go over to where my friends gasping for breath.

"Did something happen?" Pierre asks, while I help Denny up. He just grins up at me.

"There's a new person here!"

xxxxXXXXxxxxXXXXxxxxxXXXXXXxxxx

This guy looks so lost.

He has on overalls, and a matching blue cap that covers most of his scruffy blond hair. His green eyes are full of curiosity while he wanders around with a big smile on his face.

For some reason, he kind of reminds me of Chelsea, although I can't place my finger on it.

Pierre, Denny, and I all watch from behind some buildings as he walks around and nearly runs into a building, before stumbling back and laughing at himself. He then continues to wander throughout the town, clearly lost.

Either he has no sense of direction, or he has no idea what he's doing. Or both.

While he wanders around aimlessly, Pierre looks at him with a worried expression.

"Maybe we should help him?" he says timidly. Denny and I just look at each other, and a smirk spreads across my face to match the mischievous grin on his.

"Naaah," we say in unison, before I grab Pierre by the back of his coat and haul him off to Elliot's, Denny leading the way.

When we get there, Elliot has just finished his own work, and he looks up to see us.

"Eh? Is something wrong?" he asks, adjusting his glasses. I thought that this guy would be a wet blanket, upon my initial meeting with him, but I've found that despite the fact that he can put a damper on things sometimes he's reliable as far as other things go.

That, and he usually knows what's going on around the island or in other towns, since his family is the one that runs the shipping business.

While Pierre pouts and tries to break free of my grasp, Denny explains about the stranger that wandering around town.

"Did you get news that someone was coming?" he asks, and Elliot adjusts his glasses again before putting a hand up to his chin thoughtfully.

"No…is there someone here?" he wants to know. Denny just shrugs though and waves.

"Thanks for the information anyways. I'll see you around!"

With that, we leave the confused Elliot and head back outside, where we see that now the stranger is standing in front of the animal shop, staring at the sign like he's trying to figure out if he should go in or not.

Pierre complains that we should help, and I'm about to shush him when I see Chelsea walking up the street towards the shop, on her way no doubt to meet up with Julia to create a costume.

When she sees the guy, she freezes. As she stands frozen in the street, he turns his head to look at her, before his whole face lights up and he runs at her with his arms flailing in the air.

"CHELSEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!" he screams, running into her and hugging her tightly.

What the hell?

* * *

**So today's update was slight filler with just a tad of suspense XD I do hope you enjoyed it-I did my very best to post it as soon as I could!**

**I'll probably post again tomorrow, although not the day after as I will be slightly more busy than usual. **

**Leave me your thoughts, and thanks for reading! :)**


	44. Chapter 44

**Okay dears here's today's forecast for this story; hint of another filler but the ending shouldn't disappoint :) Hopefully XD**

* * *

_~Chelsea~_

Oh my gosh. What's he doing here?

As my friend pulls back, he holds me at arm's length and looks me up and down.

"Chelseaaa~" he whines, "I haven't seen you in so lonnnng! Why didn't you ever TELL me you were here on such a cute little island?"

I swear, he hasn't changed at all from how he used to be. Even when we were near starving and caught in the rain, the way he talked still sounds like he's punctuating nearly everything he says with a heart. One can literally see flowers just blooming around him.

I slap him away with a laugh and say, "Oh shut up, Mark. What the hell are you doing here?"

He pouts and lets his arms rest on my shoulders, jutting his hip out as he leans to one side and looks at me.

"You're so cruel, Chelsea," he says, tears in the corners of his eyes. "After all this time, that's what you say to me when you see me? No, 'Mark, I missed you' or 'Mark, how I've lived to see you again'? I thought we had something special!"

I just roll my eyes. When he sees that, he claps his hands together and bounces back and forth on his feet, smiling at me.

"You haven't changed a BIT!" he squeals, a pleased look on his face. "But I think you've gotten just a little bit cuter."

I'm about to answer him when I feel someone leaning against me, using my head like an armrest.

"Oh? Chelsea, who's your friend?" Vaughn says in a tone that feigns disinterest, although I can tell he's clearly irritated at something.

With a smile, I dart out from under him and run over to Mark's side, taking his hand. This only causes Vaughn to scowl, his irritation becoming even more apparent as Pierre edges away from him and mutter something about a dark aura.

There certainly seems to be one coming out from Vaughn right now.

"Don't be jealous," I scold, which causes Vaughn to blush and pull at his hat.

"Who said I was jealous?" he mutters, and I just grin.

"Well whatever. Don't be. This is just Mark."

When I say that, Mark pouts even more and says, "JUST Mark? How can you speak of me in such a distant manner?"

With a sigh, I ignore him and talk to Vaughn, Pierre, and Denny, all of whom are looking at Mark like he's got something sprouting from his head.

"Mark and I grew up together," I explain. "He's the one who took care of me when I ran away and lived in the city; he's just an old friend of mine."

Mark stomps his foot childishly and says, "Old? Do I LOOK old to you? Sure, I'm twenty five now, but I've still got it!"

While Pierre and Denny curiously swarm around Mark and begin talking to him, Vaughn pulls me to the side.

"Is he…?"

"No, he's not gay, although I questioned it too for the first three years I lived with him. He's just weird. That, and he has an unnatural obsession for cute things."

Vaughn frowns at this, then turns around calls to Mark, "Hey, what do you think of her?" while he points at me.

Mark tilts his head to the side, a confused expression on his face.

"She's like a puppy; she's so cute and just needs to be taken care of! Why?" he says, and Vaughn brings his hand to his face and says, "Never mind. Just…never mind."

xxxxXXXxxxxXXXxxxxXXXxxxxXXXXxxxx

I can't believe the outfit they've stuffed me into.

We're all going with THEMES although apparently this was just decided at the last minute. And, better yet, the boys apparently are dressing up as well, although both Sabrina and Will have opted out, since Sabrina's got some more bookkeeping to do for her father and her cousin wants to keep her company.

So we're all ending up coupling together, and we're going to go around the island like kids asking for candy despite the fact that the youngest of us, Natalie, is already eighteen.

Although, I have to admit that now I'm a little curious as to what the boys are going to be, since we're all wearing different outfits.

Julia's some kind of cat girl, and she keeps adjusting her ears and fixing her clothes, while Lanna dances around in a gypsy outfit, the bells on her anklet ringing with every step she makes. Natalie's been stuffed into her costume, like me, although she look uncomfortably at her outfit and holds the maid skirt out with a look on her face, giving me a rueful grin.

I smile back, and look down at my own outfit.

They've got me in a princess outfit; the skirt is full, and flares out to the ground where it covers my feet, the hoopskirt covered in layers of petticoats and lace that are bound to trip me at least twice. The dress itself is the same blue as my eyes, and the sleeves stop at my elbows, flaring out as well, with bows here and there. Julia somehow managed to pin up my hair with a crystal hairpin, which she insists that I keep in, despite the fact that I'm afraid I'll lose it.

While we all admire each other's outfits, I hear a knock downstairs before Mirabelle opens the door and exclaims, "My, you're all so dashing!"

With eager smiles, we all rush downstairs and gasp as we take in the boys.

xxxxxXXXXxxxxxXXXXXxxxxxXXXXxxxxx

My eyes go to Vaughn first, of course. I could care less that Denny's wearing some kind of matching pirate/gypsy outfit for Lanna, or that Pierre's wearing a waiter suit, or that Elliot has cat ears.

Vaughn is elegantly dressed, with a nice suit and everything. His hat is gone, and so is his vest, but in place is a long cape that looks suspiciously like it belongs to Regis.

He kind of looks like…a really sexy vampire. But I'm supposed to be a princess…so what's going on?

Like she can read my mind, Julia calls out, "Chelsea, don't worry about it. You and Vaughn totally match. You're like a princess of the light and he's like the demon lord of the dark, so you two have this whole Romeo and Juliet thing going for you."

While everyone busts up in laughter, I smirk at Vaughn while he complains loudly.

"What? Why do I have to be a demon lord?" he growls, but I run down the stairs to meet him anyways, flinging myself on him while the others all greet their partners.

"That's okay," I whisper in his ear, enjoying it when he tenses at how close we are, "You can kidnap me any day."


	45. Chapter 45

_~Vaughn~_

When I wake up in my house, I check the calendar before I do anything else. I've actually been looking forward to this, although I really didn't want to admit it.

It's Winter Harmony day…which means I'll get chocolate. Or something close to it, considering Chelsea's not really all that great at cooking.

Normally this wouldn't be a big deal, but since it's coming from Chelsea it means a lot to me. We've been together for maybe half a season now, but for some reason I still can't get used to the fact that we're actually TOGETHER.

Every time I'm with her, I turn red even though I should be used to it by now.

I've also promised her that next week, I'll go to Mineral Town with her so she can see her parents again. I think she's afraid that if she goes alone, they'll try to stop her from leaving. It doesn't surprise me, seeing as it seemed like that was exactly what they wanted to do when we were getting ready to leave the first time.

While I get dressed, there's a knock on my door. I ignore it, knowing who it is and turn my back to the door as it swings open.

"Hey Vaughn!" Cheryl sings, bouncing into my house and shutting the door behind her like it's no big deal. "I brought you chocolate! Happy Winter Harmony Day!"

I give a sigh of annoyance and turn around to glare at her.

"Cheryl. How many times do I have to tell you-I HAVE a girlfriend. I HAVE someone I like. Besides, how do you keep getting in here anyways, I've changed the key and lock at least twice now and you still manage to get in."

She giggles, and waves a finger in front of my face.

"Now, Vaughn, don't be like that. It's my little secret too, by the way, how I get in here and I don't plan on giving that up anytime soon!"

I roll my eyes and head for the door, getting ready to leave.

"Stop it Cheryl. Stop coming here."

"Not a chance, cowboy. I don't believe you for one bit when you say you have someone else, so until you prove it to me I can do whatever I want!"

As I slam the door behind me, I sigh and wish that she wasn't so forceful. She's exactly the same way she was when her brother was courting his wife; she kept following him around, insisting that until he proved it, it wasn't real.

Then he got married and she shut up and started bothering me instead.

The only problem is that Chelsea can't leave her farm right now; she just got a few sheep and she wants to nurture them personally. Besides that, she can only take day trips, and coming to Bluebell would mean staying the night.

She's not willing to leave her farm just yet, so I'll have to deal with this nuisance for a few more weeks before I can finally bring her here and get rid of Cheryl once and for all.

xxxXXXxxxxXXXXxxxxxXXXXxxxxXXXxxxxx

As the island comes into sight, I huff impatiently, wishing the boat was already there.

I never realized how agonizing it was to wait to be with someone until now. Then again, I don't have to wait long.

She's sitting on the dock, and as soon as she sees the boat come in she stands up with a big grin on her face. I frown though, noting that she doesn't seem to be wearing a scarf.

When I step off the boat, I'm tackled by her. She wraps her arms around my neck and hangs from it, talking up at me about how glad she is to see me while I say, "yeah, yeah," and grab her by the waist to set her down.

"Hey, what are you doing?" she complains as I start bundling her up in my scarf.

"Shut up and hold still."

"Noooooo!"

The two of us fight with the scarf, me trying to wrap her in it and her trying to wriggle out of it.

"Just…hold…still…dammit Chelsea," I grunt, as she steps on my foot and then runs away.

"I HATE scarves!" she calls back at me, and I glare at her before chasing her down.

xxxXXxxxxxXXXxxxxXXXxxxxxXXXxxxxx

Mark laughs on the couch while Pierre hands both me and Chelsea mugs of hot chocolate.

"You tried to put her in a scarf?" Mark says in disbelief, clutching at his sides. "Chelsea can't stand scarves!"

"Or bats," I say, sipping at my mug and earning a glare from her, where she sits squished in between me and Mark.

"It's feels like being choked," she mutters sullenly into her cup, and I curse at myself as I realize that her dislike for scarves isn't just another weird thing of hers.

She has a legitimate enough reason for it, although by the looks of things Mark doesn't know that, as he continues to jibe at her and tell her that scarves are made for the cold weather.

Finally she stands up and drags me outside, clearly unable to deal with the fact that Mark won't leave her alone.

I don't mind though, and I allow her to pull me along as we walk towards her farm.

xxxXXxxxxXXXXxxxXXXXXxxxXXXXxxxx

When we get to her farm, she tosses a bag at me and mumbles something about Winter Harmony Day. I watch as she grumbles about how I better not complain about the taste, and then I smile and open the package, looking down at it.

There are cookies in the bag. There are a few that look a bit burnt, but other than that them seem surprisingly okay.

While I stare at them, she frowns and then looks away.

"Stop staring at them…they're not bombs or anything…"

"I'm just surprised that they retained shape," I tease, but when I see her face fall I laugh softly and put my hand on her chin, bringing her face up so that she's looking me straight in the eye.

"Thanks," I murmur, leaning down to press a kiss to her forehead, which causes her to blush.

It's good to know that she likes me so much that she can still blush so easily for me, despite the fact that we've been like this for nearly half a season now, and despite the fact that even before that we were pretty close.

As we sit down in the snow, I see her shiver and I frown at it. Slowly, I drop my scarf on her, and then my vest.

"Vaughn! You're going to catch a cold!" she frets, but I just shake my head and put my arm around her, drawing her closer.

"It's better if I catch one than you. You've got animals to take care of; I can just call in sick if I have to. Besides, I have a something to tell you."


	46. Chapter 46

_~Chelsea~_

Something to tell me? I'm actually really curious about what it is, and I lean forward as he smiles at the snow.

It's nice, to see how much he smiles now; now that's he's changed so much from how he used to be.

While I watch him, he clears his throat and says, "I'll be transferred here permanently. Mirabelle and I arranged it with the company a few days ago."

I gasp at this news and clutch at his arm.

"What!? Why did you tell me sooner!" I complain, although I'm happy to know that I won't have to wait to see him anymore. He'll have Sundays and Saturdays off, sure, but even then he'll probably just go home and he's already told me that I'm more than welcome to come back with him if I want.

I actually really like both Konohana and Bluebell, since they've both got such different feels compared to the island, and the idea that I can go back and visit has me excited. Sure, I can't go every single time, but it'll be kind of nice to get away every once in awhile.

With a smile, I fall back into the snow and close my eyes.

"It'll be nice, to see you every day," I mumble shyly, opening my eyes just a fraction to catch him blushing.

I really could get used to this kind of thing, every single day.

xxxXXxxxXXXxxxXXXXxxxXXXxxxxXXXxxxXXXxxxx

I'm walking down the street when I'm nearly tackled to the ground by a blur of denim. As I'm dragged behind the building by Mark, I protest.

"Mark, you've seriously got to stop tackling me like that, you're going to break something!" I complain, but my friend just shushes me furtively before sitting me down on a crate. We're behind Elliot's house, I realize, as I take in my surroundings, but before I can ask him what he wants he puts one hand on the house, leaning in close and trapping me between his arms and the wall.

"Chelsea," he says, his voice totally serious, "You need to tell me something…"

The tone in his voice is one I know well; it's the same voice he used to use when he knew I had been out behind his back doing something and he was going to make me feel guilty for it.

"What Mark?" I ask, unsure. I honestly don't know what I could have done to make him use this voice with me. He's been on the island for near a season now, but I haven't hidden a thing from him.

If anything, I've told him far too much; he wouldn't shut up for a good two weeks ever since he found out that I'm actually in a relationship with Vaughn (for some reason he thinks that us being together is adorable).

Mark takes his arm back and puts his head down before snapping up to look me straight in the eyes.

"Who does…Who does Sabrina…WhodoesSabrinalike!" he finally manages to get out.

I should have known it was something like this. Mark's never been smooth with girls; especially since about half of them think he's gay.

"I don't know; I haven't talked with her since the beach party, since I've been busy with the farm and she's been busy with her books."

When I say that, Mark's shoulders slump in disappointment and he sinks to the ground with a look on his face.

"I don't know what I should doooooo," he mopes, and I slap him on the back, causing him to wince.

"Man up, stupid. Look, why don't you just ask her to Starry Night? Go from there, you can figure things out yourself. I mean honestly, how old you are anyways? Five?"

Mark just sticks his tongue out at me, and I laugh before ruffling his hair and leaving him with his thoughts.

xxxXXXXxxxxXXXXxxxxXXXXxxxxXXXxxxx

As I head back towards the animal shop my happy grin fades when I see Julia leaning against the door frame. She looks irritated at something, which is NEVER a good sign.

"What's up?" I ask her, and she just sighs loudly.

"Can you do me a favor?" she asks, and I look at her, wondering what it is until she deposits a basket in my arms, a ticket for the next boat out of here tucked neatly on top.

"Vaughn's sick," she tells me, as my heart jumps, "So go to his house and take care of him, will you? You don't want him missing the Starry Festival; you've got what, three days? I don' t know how he got sick anyways, I mean he always wears that dumb vest, even in the summer…"

When I cough a little, she looks at me.

"Well…he might have given me that vest and told me to wear it and not catch a cold myself…" I says, and she smirks at me.

"How long ago was this?" she wants to know, and I start to count on my fingers before giving up.

"Winter Harmony Day," I say, deciding it's not worth it to mention that nearly every day after that we had snowball fights with Pierre, Denny, and Shea. In a few more weeks, it'll be time for the New Year's celebration, which I'm looking forwards to; Spring will be here and I can plant crops again.

It'll mean more money for me and less having to rely on just my cow's milk to support me as far as income goes, since my sheep are too young to do much of anything yet.

Hopefully, by the Starry Night Festival I'll be able to shear their wool for money too.

The thought cheers me up, and eagerly I set off towards the boat, waving back at Julia.

xxxXXXxxxxXXXxxxxxXXXxxxxXXXXxxxx

I reach the city soon enough, before walking towards it's outskirts, in the direction of Konohana. Although Vaughn obviously likes to ride the horse to his hometown, I noticed that it wasn't really all that far.

When I reach the edge of Konohana in little less than an hour, I know that Vaughn's just being lazy in using a horse to commute back and forth.

Smiling at the thought, I pass by his aunt and uncle's house and go through the tunnel, shivering slightly at the thought of bats. However, the thought of what awaits me on the other side helps me get through, and when I burst out of the tunnel into the light I feel as if I've overcome a mountain, although I know that I haven't really done that much.

As I walk up the path towards the house, I notice that the lights are on inside. He must be awake.

At first, I smile while I creep towards the door, but when I hear the voices inside I stop, my smile slowly slipping from its place.

First, I hear a low, girlish giggle before there's a rustling noise, and I hear Vaughn muttering something that I can't hear.

Quietly, I sneak up to the door and open it just a fraction, peeking inside.

What I see shocks me.

There's a tall woman leaning over Vaughn while he lays in the bed, shirtless, his lower half covered by the blanket. Her hair falls in golden ringlets down her back, cascading over her bare shoulders. She wears nothing but a lacy, somewhat-see through camisole as she leans over him, a smile on her half parted lips.

Vaughn's face is red, and he's glaring up at her, although whether it's out of hate or because she's teasing him I can't tell. While I watch, she giggles again and brings her hands up, letting them fall on his bare chest, where they slowly trace down to his waistline.

He flinches.

"Come on, can't you help out an old friend?" she whispers, and before Vaughn can react the door swings out of my grasp.

When the door crashes against the wall, the two of them jump then look at where I'm standing. When the girl sees me, her eyes widen, but when Vaughn sees me, he nearly falls out of the bed.

As I stand there, trembling, the basket crashes from my hand and I slowly back away.

"Chelsea, I swear it' s not what it looks like," he tries to explain, but I can't stay there any longer or I just know I'll start crying.

And I'd hate to let him know how much it hurts.

I turn and run. I run as fast as I can, through the tunnel, past the other town and on and on, trying to outrun all my thoughts and feelings.

But I can't do it.

I can feel it; it's as if my heart, which I've so carefully crafted together once more, has shattered into a million glass pieces. I can feel it as it cuts into my soul, the pain carving deeper and deeper in my chest.

In fact, so much pain, that I lose sense of where I'm going and what's happening all around me.

All I can see is that girl, leaning over the bed, and Vaughn looking at me with alarm in his eyes.

I'm so wrapped up in my own pain that when I see the car, it's too late.

It swerves towards me honking, and as the light brightens I brace myself for the impact. But it never comes.

Instead, I feel his arms around me, before I black out.

* * *

**Don't forget to leave your thoughts about what you think happened! I'll update as soon as I can so you're not in too much suspense XD**


	47. Chapter 47

_~Vaughn~_

_My dad looks down at me, a smile on his face as I play the violin. I'm no Mozart, but I'm making progress day by day, and every day I'm getting better. As I finish my song, he laughs and swings me onto his knee, looking at me with pride. _

_I know that no matter how bad my song may have sounded, he would have been proud of me anyways. It's just how he is; gentle and caring, which is why my mom loves him so much. _

"_Someday, Vaughn," he tells me as I hug the violin to me, "Someday that'll be yours."_

_I smile up at him, and he laughs and ruffles my hair, smiling at me fondly._

_For some reason, he fades into black and violin disappears from my hands. _

_I'm a little older now; I'm about seven. I come crying into the kitchen, my knees torn and bleeding. _

_My mother stops what she's doing to kneel down, taking my hand in hers while she observes my knees. _

"_Oh my, what have we here?" she exclaims, looking down at my knees before standing up again to grab at the emergency kit. As she bandages my knee, I hiccup through my tears and she smiles prettily at me, her whole face lighting up as she kisses me on the cheek and receives a teary smile back. _

"_Vaughn, be brave. You'll be alright," she tells me, smoothing my hair out of my forehead._

_She too, fades to black. _

_I'm even older this time. Now I'm ten. _

_It's storming outside; thunder booms overhead and lightning crackles. The wind howls viciously, as I sit on the ground, playing with our cat. _

_I look over and see my mom staring at the window from where she sits at the table, a worried look on her face. Looking down, I pet the cat. _

_Dad hasn't come home yet, and though the storm's just started it's getting worse by the minute. _

_When I hear a clatter, I look up and see my mom has walked over to the door, her coat already half on. _

"_Mom, where are you going!" I cry, climbing to my feet and running over to her, clutching at her coat bottom. _

_She just smiles down at me and shrugs on the other sleeve while she pats my head and says, "I'm going to get Dad. Can you stay here and watch the house for me, Vaughn?"_

_Quickly, I shake my head and grab at her coat even more fiercely than before. For some reason, the idea of her going out just seems wrong, so wrong that I can't even bring myself to let her walk out without protesting._

"_Don't go Mom!" I say, starting to cry. The fact that I'm crying makes me ashamed, and I begin to cry even harder. _

_She kneels down to my level and raises my head so that I'm looking her in the eyes. _

"_What do I always tell you, Vaughn?" she asks gently, and I sniffle and stop crying as she dries my tears. _

"_I…I have to be brave," I hiccup, and she smiles brightly at me and kisses my forehead before standing up. _

"_That's my boy," she says, patting my head one more time. "Take good care of the house for me dear. I'll be back with Dad as soon as I can."_

_Then she opens the door and I watch as she walks out into the storm. As she disappears into the dark, everything around me disappears too._

_But my surroundings keep fluctuating once more, before they settle in again._

_I'm back in the house, but everything's dark and still. There is no music, there are no sounds from the kitchen, and there are no voices. _

_It's silent._

_As I creep towards my parent's bedroom, I can see my dad sitting in there. _

_I watch as my dad sits in bed, staring out the window. He hasn't spoken since the town held a burial for mom, despite the fact that they had no body to put in the casket. _

_He hasn't eaten either. _

_His eyes are sallow, and dark circles plague him. He is even paler than he was before; his mouth set in a hard line. He stares out the window, as if memorizing the scenery, although somehow I can tell he's not really seeing anything._

"_Dad?" I say, creeping up beside him. He doesn't stir, but I watch him for awhile before creeping back to my own room, throwing one last look over my shoulder as I leave. _

_He doesn't turn his head to either acknowledge my coming or going._

_More black._

_There's a new face now…it's Chelsea. _

_Chelsea._

_Such a familiar blue has never looked more welcoming than her eyes, and she laughs as she turns over on the grass to watch the clouds, the sky's color reflecting what I see in her eyes._

"_How many miles would you walk, just to see me?" she asks, and I huff and look away. _

_What a weird question to ask; as if I could walk across the ocean even if I wanted to?_

"_I dunno. A lot." I say by way of answer, although it's clearly not satisfactory enough for her as she wrinkles her nose before rolling over to look at me. _

"_Would you wait a long time, just to be with me?" she wants to know. _

"_I wait every week just to come back here and make sure you haven't gone and done something incredibly stupid. A week's a long time you know." _

_This answer gets a laugh out of her, although her eyes remain serious. _

"_What if I left?" she whispers, and I close my eyes, wondering what all the questions are about. When I don't answer, I can hear the seriousness in her voice as she says, "Do you even see me, Vaughn? Or am I just another person to you?"_

_I hesitate, but answer her. Her voice is too serious NOT to answer. _

"_I see you. I've always seen you, Chelsea. And if you left…I'd miss you. I'd miss you more than you think I would."_

xxxxXXxxxxxXXXXXxxxxxXXXXxxxxxXXXXXxxxx

My eyes flicker, then remain closed before I can tell there are bright lights above me.

My head is pounding, and my body is burning, like I've been hit by something. Only what though, I've no idea.

I can't move and I can't remember what happened.

It's scary, being this helpless.

While I lie there, prone, I hear someone puttering around above me before Chelsea's voice asks, "Will he be okay?"

"Yes. But we need to give him another shot to dull the pain…and it'll will be awhile before he wakes up properly."

The other voice answering her back is so familiar, but as if floats around in the air the name of the person escapes my grasp.

Chelsea starts crying.

I want to get up and tell her to stop, stop crying I'm fine and everything will be okay, but I can't move.

And then there's a slight pressure on my arm before everything starts to fade once more.

xxxxXXXXxxxxXXXXxxxxxXXXxxxx

"_Come on! Let's go!" Rahi smiles, pulling me along while Ying looks around nervously. _

_It's late now; the adults would have a fit if they knew we were outside at this hour, sneaking around on the mountain. _

_But of course, I don't care. It isn't as if Aunt Georgia and Uncle Kana are my parents anyways._

_As we scramble up a few ledges, we reach a zip line. One by one we make it to the other side, before Rahi puts his finger to his mouth indicating we be quiet. _

_When he pulls back the bamboo, Ying gives a little gasp of delight and I stare, amazed at what I see._

_I never knew there were so many pandas on this mountain. _

_While Ying goes forward to pet a baby one that's wandered up to us, Rahi smiles over at me. _

"_Let's be friends," the older boy declares, holding out his hand. _

_More black._

_Another memory; this time I'm sitting up in bed, listening as my aunt and uncle try to talk quietly at the table. There's no helping the fact that I can still hear it though._

"_He's just so quiet," my aunt frets, and I can see my uncle nodding in agreement as he says, "It's only natural, I suppose. He's had to grow up so quickly."_

"_Yes," my aunt replies, "but to think what Lillian would say if she could see how things are now. I feel so bad for him, poor boy."_

_My fist grips my sheet tightly, and I grind my teeth. _

_I abhor their pity. I don't need it, and I don't want it. _

_I've no use for their sympathy; it's not going to bring my parents back. Nothing can bring them back, no matter how many wishes or tears or prayers we make, they will stay dead. _

_Sympathy can't bring back the dead._

_If life was that easy, we'd never have to go through any pain for very long….pain…_

_Pain. _

_It spreads through my arm as my surroundings once more turn black._

* * *

**So, in case you couldn't tell, that was just him going through a bunch of random memories. He's totally unconscious, but this is what's going on in his head.**

**I wanted you guys to have a little peek at the kind of childhood I envisioned him having XD So I hope you enjoyed it :) I'll put up another chapter tomorrow, if possible, so don't forget to check in again then!**

**Feel free to leave any thoughts you like, and stay tuned! :)**


	48. Chapter 48

_~Chelsea~_

He's so still.

He's so still, that at first I think he's died, although Doctor Hiro assures me that he's most definitely still alive and kicking.

"Vaughn wouldn't die over something like that," he says, patting my back nervously while I sob for the umpteenth time into the handkerchief he gave me when we first were taken to the Konohana hospital.

While I sniffle, the doctor keeps patting my back and rambling, as if in doing so he'll console me.

"The car wasn't going very fast to begin with, so when it hit you two it didn't do much damage, especially since Vaughn was shielding you. From my examination, he's got a few bruised ribs and his left arm is broken, but other than that he's fine!"

He seems even more alarmed when I burst into a fresh set of tears. I haven't cried like this in ages, although I have good enough reason to do so now. While I continue to cry, both Georgia and Kana rush in.

Hiro answers their questions, and as Georgia sinks to her knees to wrap her arms around my shaking form, Kana hugs us from my other side.

After giving us a moment, Hiro leads us to the hospital room where he's got Vaughn recovering.

I'm half afraid to see him again, especially as the last memory I have of him is with that girl, but I know I can't back out now.

As much as I want to hate Vaughn for what I saw, when I see him lying on the hospital bed hooked up to various machines with an oxygen mask on his face, my insides twist viciously as I know that I'm the one who put him there.

There's no mistaking it; I really am at fault for this.

He wouldn't be here, if I hadn't been blindly running in the streets.

Then again, I wouldn't have been running in the street if I hadn't been trying to get THAT out of my head. It still eludes me, who that girl was, but when I look at Vaughn's limp form I decide that it will be a conversation that will have to wait for later.

xxxxXXXxxxxXXXxxxxxXXXxxxx

I've been awake two days in a row now; as dawn begins to break on the third day, I smile ruefully when I realize it's the Starry Festival tonight.

How far and distant it seems; how happy I was to think that I'd be spending tonight with the one person I can hardly go without.

He hasn't woken or stirred since being hit, and by the looks of things I'll be spending tonight with him anyways, although this is far from what I had in mind, and far from what I'd hoped.

Both Georgia and Kana have left me to take care of him, although they come nearly every night to check up on him. I suppose today though, they'll let me have my time with him alone.

As I sit and stare at him, I hear light footfalls behind me. Thinking it's just the doctor come to check on me again, I turn to wave him off when I see that it's a girl.

Not just any girl, but the girl who caused all this heartache in the first place.

That bitch.

I slowly rise to my feet, gripping my hands into fists tightly when she looks at me, a completely serious look on her face.

"I need to talk to you," she asks, and for a moment my anger lapses into curiosity.

I decide that first, I'll see what she has to say; then I'll punch her in that pretty little face of hers.

xxxXXXxxxXXXxxxxXXXxxxxXXXXxxxxx

She wants to talk somewhere more private, but I don't wish to stray far from the clinic. I don't move as she bows low, her hair scraping the ground as she bends before me.

"I want to apologize." She says curtly, although the tone in her voice makes me wonder just how sorry she really is. While I wonder, she starts talking.

"I want you to know also, that Vaughn and I have nothing…We never have, and we never will. I see that quite clearly now."

The rueful tone in her voice makes me think that she's telling the truth, and when I look into her eyes and see the hard expression I inwardly know that she's not lying to me about this.

Still, it doesn't explain what she was doing in his house.

Clearing my throat, I ask, "Then what were you doing in his house, half naked?"

"I've always pursued him like that," she says carelessly, and my face darkens at the thought that he's probably seen her in scantier clothing than she last was. "But I never dreamed he'd actually have a girlfriend…so I'm sorry. I'm going to leave him alone; I'm moving out and heading somewhere else. Where, I don't know, but anywhere's better than here.

I can hardly stay here, after knowing that I've done so much damage. Besides," and she gives a hard smile, "if you don't hit me for what I did, Vaughn will. And I know that if I'm still here when he wakes up, he'll come after me."

xxxxXXXXxxxXXXxxxxxXXxxxxxXXXXxxxx

That night, as I watch the moonlight reflect on Vaughn's pillow, I idly twist his fingers in my hair while I think about what happened that day.

She never gave me a name, that girl. She just bowed one last time, told me to pass on her message to Vaughn, and then walked out of the town with all the confidence of someone on a mission.

Does it make me a bad person, to be happy about this?

While I try to convince myself that it's okay to be glad about this, Vaughn stirs in his sleep before his eyes open a little. I sit up straight and look down at him, surprised that he's awake. Before I can help him up or ask him if he wants anything, he sits up and winces, before ripping the oxygen mask off his face (much to my alarm).

"Put it back on!" I hiss, forgetting for just a second that I've been waiting three days for him to regain consciousness.

He shakes his head, and then grimaces, clutching at his chest like he's in pain.

"Chel..sea," he huffs out with some difficulty, "What…happened? My a…arm?"

I can feel tears in the corner of my eyes, and when he sees them his eyes widen again and he goes to reach over with his good arm, trying to wipe my eyes for me. Fiercely, I jerk back and look at him, trembling all over before I lean into him and grab the front of the hospital gown, nearly tearing it with my rough grip.

"Thank the goddess….you're alive," I manage to choke out, while he hesitates but puts his good arm around me.

"Of course…I'm alive," he says in his halting speech, pouting at me. "Can't…can't get rid…of me so easy."

I laugh into his chest quietly, before murmuring, "I know. I want to thank you for saving me. I'm also glad you're finally awake; that's all I wished for tonight."

When I say that, he pushes me back with his free arm and looks at me with alarm.

"Starry Night?" he asks, and I know what he means. I nod my head, laughing a little when he makes a disappointed face.

"Don't do that, stupid," I say, poking his forehead lightly. "I got the best Starry Night I could ask for anyways; I can tell you everything that's been going on in my head for the last few days, while you were asleep the entire time.

"Vaughn, I want to apologize for not letting you explain…and to apologize for even doubting you in the first place. I should've trusted you more; the girl came to tell me she was sorry and she'll never be back again. She also told me that you had nothing to do with it, and I believe her.

"I just don't think you're the kind of person who would save someone they didn't care about."

I smile as Vaughn grins back before pulling me towards him for a kiss. It's awkward, as I carefully lean away from him so as to not touch his rib cage while he brings his good hand up to my head, sliding it back so that his fingers run through my hair.

"Sorry…this couldn't be better," he complains when we break off, but I just smile and lean back to look at him.

"I'm fine; I told you that already. I got to spend my Starry Night with the person I love; shouldn't that be more than enough?"


	49. Chapter 49

_~Vaughn~_

I'm in a lot of pain, but when she says that I ignore the pain and focus on the fact that I'm here, and that she's here with me.

That's the most important thing right now; that we're together and she's safe.

When I saw that car heading towards her, I reacted instinctively. I didn't even have to think twice about shielding her.

Luckily, I don't seem to have taken too much damage, and she looks completely fine save the fact that there appears to be a long scratch on her cheek.

I frown when I see that, and bring my good hand up to gently touch her cheek. She smiles, somehow knowing the question in my mind and shrugs.

"It's just a small scratch. It's nothing compared to your broken arm, or your ribs," she tells me.

I wince as I'm reminded of the pain I'm in, but I move slightly to the other side of my bed. Chelsea looks at me, confused until I'm settled in on the other side of the bed and I look up and say, "Come here."

She smiles and gets onto the bed, snuggling up to me as soon as she's comfortably on it. As I put my good arm around her and she leans her head on my chest, I mutter, "This…this…not what…I had in mind."

I hate that I can't even speak like a normal human being right now; as tough as I am, I never thought that bruised ribs could make it this hard to communicate.

I sound like a total idiot right now. Chelsea though, just smiles and snuggles even closer before she speaks one more time in a sleepy yawn.

"I know. But like I said, it's fine. Let's just sleep okay? You need to get better so we can celebrate the New Year's festival with everyone on the last day of winter."

xxxXXXXxxxxXXXXxxxxxXXXxxxxx

"Chelsea, I don't think this is such a good idea," I grumble, as I sit on the bed while she kneels down, putting on my boots for me.

"Oh hush, you don't know what's good for you," she chides me. "Dr. Hiro said that taking a walk and going to have tea would help you get better faster."

I snort, knowing exactly what the doctor what wants.

"No, he just said that because the rest of the town wants to see me with my girlfriend. They're just a bunch of old snoops; besides, I don't need to show you off to anyone. I don't like sharing."

She blushes at that and stands up, offering me her hand.

"You're so stingy," she says, although I smile when I see that the pleased blush still remains on her cheeks. I sigh, and then stand up and stretch a bit, wincing as my ribs ache.

"Let's just get this over with," I say, leaning as lightly on her as I can as she supports me and helps me towards the door.

She keeps insisting that it's all in my imagination, but by the time we get to the tea house she's quieted down.

"Are they still staring?" she asks, as we sit down on the outside terrace. While she stares fiercely at the table, I just sigh and lean forward to put my arms up on the table, putting my hand in my chin.

"Of course they are. It's annoying."

"Sorry I didn't believe you…I just thought you were being lazy."

I give her a look.

"Since when was I lazy?"

At the question, she laughs, covering her hand with her fist. Then, she looks up at me with a mischievous sparkle in her eye.

"Well since we've been here for a good week now, you haven't done much of anything," she points out. "All you've done is roll around in your bed and make demands. Which, may I add, I have been following rigorously, and have been catering to your every need and want. You're spoiled, you know that?"

I smile at her little lecture, taking one of my arms off the table to reach forward so I can touch her cheek lightly. As my fingers brush across her cheek, she clears her throat and looks away with a blush.

"People are watching," she mutters, as if that will ward me off. At this point though, I could care less; everyone in town knows about how I all but threw myself in front of a car to save this girl.

That, and now that I can finally move both my arms again, I'm going to make good use of my abilities.

"Is that supposed to stop me?" I ask, raising an eyebrow at her and leaning forwards, grabbing her face and pulling it to mine. She struggles weakly, clearly embarrassed by my sudden display of affection but obviously happy about it and not willing to break the kiss.

When I finally pull away, I smirk when I see her blushing.

"I can't believe you still blush so easily," I say low, smoothly letting my fingers trail through her hair to the back of her neck. She's about to retort back when I begin to massage her there, causing her to relax while she mutters things under her breath.

"Don't mutter," I tell her, "it's rude."

"You don't play fair. You also don't behave in public; why should I?"

"Well, if you don't behave…" here I give her a dark look, with a smile to match, "I might just have to punish you for it later."

* * *

**Don't forget to leave your thoughts! :D I'll update again probably on Friday, so look forward to it! Until then luvs**


	50. Chapter 50

_~Chelsea~_

He really doesn't play fair. At all.

When he says things like that, I have no idea how to even BEGIN to come up with a response. Especially when he's giving me the look he is now; like he's anticipating what will happen later on when we're alone in the hospital room.

Somehow, I get the feeling I'm going to be attacked, and I don't know whether to be excited about it or kind of scared.

While I sit there, blushing, he just looks back and says, "Ah. We should probably order some tea."

Shaking my head to clear it of indecent thoughts, I cough a little and say, "Yeah. Tea."

He smirks at me as an older lady walks in. She looks like the same age as the girl who was with Vaughn is, but for some reason she seems to be much more civilized. When she sees Vaughn, her eyes light up and she claps her hands together with a happy smile on her gentle face.

"Vaughn? It's so good to see you up and about! I heard from Rahi that you were in the hospital, and I planned on sending over something but lately I've been so busy helping my grandmother that I haven't been able to find the time."

I watch as Vaughn shakes his head and responds back with a polite tone.

"No, Ying, don't worry about it. I heard from Rahi that you're expecting; so I wanted to offer you my congratulations. I probably should've done so when I first heard, but I've been…" his eyes wander over to me and he winks, causing me to flinch (earning a smirk from him), "busy."

The smile on Ying's face has me wanting to blush so much; it's a smile of KNOWING, and it makes me uncomfortable and embarrassed, which Vaughn knows.

He's having too much fun with this.

Clearing my throat, I hold out my hand and introduce myself. When she hears my name, she smiles even wider and says, "It's a pleasure to finally meet you, Chelsea. I never thought I'd see the day when my friend Vaughn would turn out to be such an expressive person."

She laughs at the look of mortification on Vaughn's face before she turns to me, explaining, "Vaughn, my husband, and I were all childhood friends. For as long as I've known him, I've never seen Vaughn smile like this since…well, since he lived in Bluebell with his parents."

I want to know more about how he was as a child, and when I open my mouth to ask her a question Vaughn smoothly says, "Well it's hard not to smile at some of Chelsea's antics. Now, about the tea…"

xxxXXXxxxxxXXXXXxxxxXXXXXXxxxxxXXXXXXXxxxxxx

"You're so meeeeeean," I complain as Vaughn sits back down on the hospital bed, watching as I gather his things.

While I grumble to myself and start shoving them into a bag that Kana brought, Vaughn raises an eyebrow and sits back to look at me.

"How am I mean?" he wants to know, but I just pout and turn my back on him.

"You know perfectly well."

"No, tell me."

"Nothing to tell," I say, starting to slightly enjoy the argument when I feel a presence behind me. When I look up, I see his hand is on the wall, his good arm trapping me on one side. Before I can turn around, I feel a cool breath of air on the back of my neck before I hear Vaughn whisper in my ear, "Nothing to tell at all?"

Slowly, I turn around and look up at him defiantly, trying hard not to blush when an amused look comes into his eyes.

"Hmmm, that's a pity. And here I was hoping you'd tell me why I'M the mean one, since I think you're pretty cruel yourself." He says, leaning casually like he isn't trapping me between his body and the wall at all.

"Wh-what? How am I the mean one?" I stutter out, ready to defend myself when he leans in and presses his lips to mine.

I kiss him back, and when I pull away he pouts like a small child who's just had their favorite toy taken from them.

"How mean, Chelsea," he mutters, his hand sliding down from the wall to first play with my hair, before going to my hip where it tightens as he pulls me close to him so that we're pressed against each other. "You never want to kiss me anymore," he says into my skin, and I blush furiously while he softly kisses my collarbone, working his way up to my lips once more.

"I don't know what you mean…I want to kiss you," I insist, although when I say the words and blush, a gleam comes in his eyes.

"Oh?"

His tone is one of feigned disinterest, although I can tell he's extremely amused by this whole situation.

When I start to squirm under his relentless volley of kisses, he throw his head back with a loud laugh before closing his eyes and kissing my forehead.

"You're too nice, putting up with me like this," he tells me, a teasing smile on his face.

I just shrug, and give a grin back.

"Yeah, I know."

xxxXXXXxxxxXXXXXXxxxxxXXXXXXxxxxxXXXXxxxxx

The island has never looked more welcoming to me than it has now. As I've been gone at least a week, I'm a little worried at the condition of my farm. Sure, Julia was taking care of it, but nonetheless things always feel better when I've taken care of them myself.

I'm about to set foot on the island when I see that someone is waiting for me.

It's the Doctor Trent. Of Mineral Town.

I want to scream and run away, but as he's right where the dock is my only hope of escape is pushing him off the dock and running away while he drowns, and I wouldn't want that on my conscious.

When the boat docks on, I step off nervously and try to side step him while Vaughn walks off the boat behind me. At first, he looks at me like he thinks I'm crazy, but when he looks up and sees that the doctor is standing in my path, he freezes before pulling me behind him with his good arm.

"What business do you have here, Trent?" he asks in a polite, but cold tone.

Carefully, I peek out from behind Vaughn's back to see that Trent has a troubled look on his face, and is scuffing his feet.

"I need to speak with you," he tells me, totally ignoring the fact that Vaughn is between us like a giant wall.

"It's about your mom, Claire."

* * *

**I'm actually kind of surprised I've written this many chapters already...although, when I think about, each of them is like a page so technically I've only written like 51 pages, and not 51 chapters XD **

**Anyways, I still have ideas for this story, so I don't think it'll be done for awhile. I'll try to organize them though, since right now they're all kind of bouncing around in my head XD**

Thanks for reading, and leave any thoughts you like! :)


	51. Chapter 51

_~Vaughn~_

When the doctor insists that he needs to speak to her, I frown. What could he possibly have to say to her, especially about her mom?

Chelsea looks at him nervously, before clearing her throat and saying, "Doctor Trent, I'd rather not talk about it right now…I haven't even been home yet a second time. If you've come to tell me that she's depressed because of it, I don't want to hear that. I'd rather…I'd rather not have my worst thoughts confirmed."

The doctor's face hardens a bit, and he looks away seeming even more troubled than before.

"No…" he says, "It's not quite…it's not really something you'd be expecting…"

She gives him a confused look, and he straightens up before closing his eyes.

"If you really don't want to speak to me now, then so be it. Maybe, that is for the best… However, I ask this of you then; when you go back to see your parents again, mention me to your mom. I will return in a week…and I want to know her reaction. Please, do this for me."

With a bow, the doctor turns to go before Chelsea runs out from behind me and yells, "Wait!"

Slowly, he turns around to face Chelsea, who clenches her hands into fists before saying, "What…what's wrong with my mom?"

The doctor gives her a sad sort of smile before looking down and saying, "I'm afraid I'll have to tell you that when I next see you, Chelsea."

xxxxXXXXxxxxxXXXXxxxxXXXXXXxxxxXXXXXXxxxxx

What was with that cryptic message of his anyways? First he shows up, insisting he has to talk to her, then he thinks it over and decides to save it for a better day?

What the hell?

Not only that, but now Chelsea's worried. She hasn't said anything since then, and we've already gone to her farm to check up on things and are now on Meadow Island. It's been at least an hour, if not more, and she still has this look on her face.

It makes me edgy, to see her like this.

She must know that I'm stressed about this because she looks up at me now, smiling as if there's nothing wrong.

"Hey Vaughn," she says in an entirely too cheerful voice, "You don't think my mom and the doctor had a confrontation or something, and that it's affected her do you?"

I shift my eyes to look out at the horizon before carefully deciding on my words.

"Well," I start, "it's possible that she went to talk to him and mentioned that he knew about you. That might have made her mad, and now they're fighting…I can't think of anything else.

"If it was an illness, he would have told you right away, but the fact is that he asked you to mention him to her and then gauge her reaction. That means something happened between the two of them…although what, I don't know."

When her face becomes even more worried, I bite my tongue. Maybe I said the wrong thing after all. I'm about to amend my statements when she sighs and stands up, stretching before looking out at the horizon as well.

"I think it's time we go visit again," she says, putting her hands on her hips before making a face. "I don't like the idea that something could be wrong…besides that, I should see them before the New Year starts."

I can't help but wonder what we'll find when we go back to Mineral Town.

xxxXXXXxxxxxxXXXXXxxxxXXXXXxxxxxx

Chelsea and I are surprised to find that neither Claire, nor Cliff appear to be at home. The house stands there, the lights off while the wind blows around and snow gently begins to fall around us.

"Where could they be?" Chelsea mutters, and I shift from one foot to the other while I resist the urge to remind her that they might be in the church.

As much as I want her to see her parents again, the idea of going back to that church creeps me out. Not that I want to admit it aloud of course, and especially not to Chelsea.

Before I can suggest (or not suggest) anything, she brightens up and says, "Oh! I'll try the winery. Dad works there…Or well, he used to. I think he still does."

Not giving me time to protest or argue, she grabs my good arm and all but drags me after her. For some reason, I can see that even though she doesn't entirely like the idea of being back here, she HAS missed her parents.

Of course, I knew that much when I was talking to Mark and he told me how when she was younger she'd cry a lot and have more nightmares, but it's still nice to see the eager look on her face as she searches out her dad.

When we get to the winery, we spot her dad. He's standing at one of the grape vines, looking up at it with a frustrated look on his face. Chelsea, seeing him, takes a single step towards him before saying, "Dad?"

Cliff's head snaps up at her voice, and he turns to look at her before a smile wreaths his face. I blink, a little surprised; for such a gloomy, reserved sort of guy, he has a nice smile.

Thinking about it, that's probably what Chelsea thinks of when she sees me, and the thought has me wanting to cringe as I think about the fact that I probably looked every bit as gloomy as Cliff usually does.

While I'm silently standing there, Chelsea makes her way to her father and smiles at him.

"Hey Dad," she says, seeming really happy to see him compared to the last time we were here. "What are you doing out here? You're not at work, are you?"

"No," Cliff shakes his head, "today is my day off. I just came here to think about some things…after you reappeared so suddenly, and then said all those things…your mother and I had a fight. Lately we've been growing more and more apart..."

Chelsea looks like she wants to know more, but isn't sure of how to ask without coming off as rude. Fortunately, I've no problem being the black sheep here. Clearing my throat, I catch both of their attentions as I say, "We'd like to hear about it, if you don't mind. Shall we go to the Inn and talk there?"

* * *

**It's time...for another dramatic twist! Look forward to it when I update tomorrow ;) **


	52. Chapter 52

_~Chelsea~_

Thank the Goddess for Vaughn. I swear, it's like he can read my mind sometimes; if he hadn't asked that question, I somehow don't think I would have been able to.

My dad sits us all at the table furthest from the door, and far away from all the other tables. When another woman, this one with her hair in a long red braid, comes to serve us, he gives her a friendly smile.

"Hello, Ann," he says, in a voice that I've never heard before. It's very different from how he says my mom's name…there's something gentler and soft about it, and the way he looks at her has me wondering.

The woman just smiles back before setting down some food and saying, "I brought your usual, Cliff. Who are your friends? Would they like anything?"

I rack my brain until I remember who it is. It's Ann…from what I can remember, my dad and she are old friends, although I'm not sure why.

My dad says something to her and she gives him a happy smile before setting off, her tray in hand. While I watch her go, my dad clears his throat before saying, "I just told her you're passing through. I didn't think you wanted me to mention anything to anyone."

Giving a grateful smile to my dad, I sigh and sit back before taking in the rest of my surroundings.

"Yeah. Thanks, Dad."

"You're welcome, Chelsea."

When Ann comes back with more food, she sets it down in front of us and then says good-bye before shooting one last look at my father.

I don't know why, but I don't like the way she looks at him.

My dad and Vaughn both begin shoveling down the food in a similar manner, and I know that if I don't mention something about why we initially came here, the two of them will continue to eat in silence.

"Dad…what's been happening?" I finally ask, my hand finding Vaughn's under the table and gripping his nervously.

Hesitating, my dad sets his utensils down slowly and a solemn look comes over his face. Then he closes his eyes, leans forward to rest his head in his hands, and begins to talk.

xxxxxxXXXxxxxxXXXXXxxxxxXXXXXxxxxxxXXXXXxxxxx

"After you left," my dad says, "I confronted you mother. I had no idea she felt that way all these years…I truly thought that we were okay. Sure, I never talked to her, but it wasn't because I didn't love her or care for her; it was because I felt that there was never a need to express how much I cared about her aloud, or be showy about it.

"Of course, I realize now that while Claire is capable and tough, she still needed me to be there for her when everything began crumbling down around us. When I ignored her, she must have felt so lonely…On top of that it doesn't help that I can't stand her best friend. We fought over how she visits him all the time, and she said I've no right to be complaining since I always visit my old friend, Ann."

While my dad makes a face, I look at him curiously.

"Her best friend?" I say, wondering who it could possibly be.

My dad makes another face before muttering, "Trent. I've never really liked him; he's so robotic and has no emotions at all. Also, he doesn't FEEL things with his heart…he just sees everything logically all the time. I think that's also why his wife wasn't able to cope well with her first son dying; Trent was even worse about the whole thing than I was.

"Instead of siding with his own wife, he got mad at her. I'm not saying that she was right to attack you like that, or that the town was right to condemn us for what happened, but I still think the right thing would have been for Trent to support Elli instead of just locking her away in their room for 'therapy' until she finally had another kid and was able to move on.

"Elli's always said it's just because he's not used to expressing emotion, but I think it's weird."

Vaughn interrupts with a cough and points at my dad, saying, "But it was weird of you to not really support Claire, wasn't it?"

At this, my dad glares at him, his cheeks puffing out a little as he huffs, "I did support Claire! I would come home early a lot at first, and I'd do chores around the farm for her, and-"

The cowboy interrupts again, muttering, "Did you really comfort her though? Did you really LISTEN to her?"

My dad opens his mouth, then closes it for a minute. We sit in silence before he finally says to Vaughn, "I didn't. And I think that's why she got so mad at me when Chelsea said all those things and I seemed surprised. It makes it seem like I haven't been looking at her, all these years. I suppose, to a degree I have been ignoring her, but at the same time it truly wasn't intentional.

"I didn't know how to deal with my runaway daughter either."

I want to ask more questions, but by the look on my dad's face it seems that he's already said what he wanted to say. Somehow, I don't think he has anything else on his mind now but how terrible he was at supporting my mom.

But that's not the most important thing now.

The Doctor, is now what lingers on my mind. Not only does it appear he's my mom's best friend, but by the way my dad talks, it's as if she visits him quite often in order to get rid of her loneliness, since she can never seem to get my dad to talk to her.

I have to find my mom.

xxxxxxXXXXxxxxxXXXXxxxxXXXXXXxxxxxXXXXXxxxxxxXXXXX XXxxxxxx

When we get back to the house, everything is quiet. I insisted my dad come with us, at the very least, but he just shook his head morosely and said he'd continue to stay at the Inn. Apparently it's where he's been ever since they started fighting.

I'm starting to wish I hadn't shown back up in their lives; at least they were getting along before that. Sort of.

The lights are on, so I head to knock on the door when I hear a deep voice seep out from the window.

"Claire," the voice says, and I freeze when I recognize it. It's the doctor's voice.

Quickly, I signal to Vaughn and he bends down before following me to the other window, where we slowly stand up and peek inside.

The first thing I see is my mom sitting on the bed, looking at the wall stubbornly while the doctor kneels in front of her, holding her hands in his.

Something about this whole situation has me wanting to scream, but I know I need to stay silent and listen before I do anything.

"Claire, come on, look at me," the doctor says in a soft voice, and instantly I'm reminded of the way Vaughn talks to me sometimes. It's so…intimate sounding, this voice.

My mom blushes when she hears his tone, but continues to sit very still, staring at the wall.

Suddenly, she sighs before shaking her head and saying, "Trent, why do you even put up with me? All I ever seem to do around you is mope, and complain, and bitch…and you still come and listen to me, after all these years. Why?"

Trent laughs softly before bringing a hand up to her cheek, softly caressing it. My eyes widen at the gesture, and suddenly my view is blocked when Vaughn's hands cover my eyes.

"Chelsea," he whispers urgently in my ear, "Let's go. We can come back another time."

"Vaughn, what are you doing?" I hiss, struggling as silently as possible. "I need to see this, don't try and protect me! I need to know!"

He reluctantly lets go but I can feel him growing more and more tense as the doctor says, "You know why. I told you the last time I was here."

Trent's words make my mom blush even harder, and she moves her face away from his hand slowly before muttering, "I can't believe that though…especially now, after all these years."

The look in the doctor's eyes is a burning one; for a guy whom my dad says doesn't express emotion well, he's surprisingly good at it.

"Claire," he says, standing up slightly and leaning forward so that my mom is trapped between his arms while she sits on the bed, looking at him with wide blue eyes, "I love you. I always have. You need to believe it, because it's true.

"Why else would I have tried to be here for you, all these years? I love you, I love you so much more than that husband of yours ever could."

At his words, my mom flinches before crying out in a trembling voice, "You don't know that! Cliff loves me, he….he loves me…"

Her voice is full of doubt, and when he hears it so plainly the doctor smiles at her even more sadly than before as he shakes his head softly.

"I've known you ever since you moved here, and I've watched as he swept you off your feet the way I never could because I didn't know how. Then, I watched as he abandoned you when you really needed him the most.

"I'm sure he DID love you…but that's faded. It left along with your daughter, I'm sure of it. Why else would he have avoided coming home so much? Why doesn't he cherish you, and realize how precious you are?

"Claire, for the past years I've tolerated your crying to me about how he never talked to you, or how he never listened to you. I've watched, as you cried and cried when everyone else in this town tried to destroy you, and he got wrapped up in his own little world and didn't protect you at all."

Every word, every accusation that comes out of the doctor seems to hit her like a bullet. She cringes away from him, her body beginning to tremble uncontrollably as she shakes her head slowly, like she can't bring herself to believe any of it.

"What about Elli?" she finally cries out, and the doctor looks down before giving a soft laugh.

"Elli…" he says slowly, "Elli was never anything but a substitute for the life I wanted with you."

* * *

**So...I know what you guys are thinking XD "How is this helping to heal anyone? This is just causing a bigger problem!"**

**Don't worry! I got this under control *puts on sunglasses and tosses hair over shoulder***

**Seriously, it'll work out in the end...just be patient :) Anyways, thanks for reading, and leave your thoughts! This is the last turning point...so after all of this the end is near D: not too near...but it's lurking on the horizion XD Okay, done ranting. Seriously, thanks so much to everyone for all the reviews and support! :D**


	53. Chapter 53

_~Vaughn~_

I need to get Chelsea out of here, and now.

She doesn't object or struggle this time when I pick her up and head back towards the dock, going as fast as I can.

I'm sure that right now, she's every bit as shocked as I am at what we just witnessed.

When we get on the boat, she sits very still, her eyes blank. It's as if she can't believe everything that we learned today; I don't really blame her.

To think that there's so many complicated relationships there, all strung together like some kind of spider's web is nearly impossible. I can't even begin to try and work out which line goes where, and who's attached to who.

While I sit in silence, Chelsea shakes her head and then hugs herself, trembling lightly.

"I don't…I don't understand…" she whispers, and I look at her, unsure of how to really comfort her in this situation. The best I can do now, is offer her a hug of my own, although I'm sure that it's not going to help that much.

This is a mess.

xxxxxXXXXXxxxxxxXXXXXXXXxxxxxxxxXXXXXXXXXXXXxxxxxx x

When we finally reach the islands, instead of letting me console her Chelsea jumps off the ship and waves at me, running towards her house.

I make a movement to follow, but she calls over her shoulder, "I'll see you at the New Year's festival tonight! Save me a good seat, okay?"

I don't want to leave her alone, but the look in her eyes tells me that she needs to think this out all by herself; she can't rely on me to try and explain it to her. Although, truth be told, I don't really know how to explain it to her anyways.

Slowly, I trudge back to my room, ignoring the hellos from everyone else as I immerse myself deep in thought.

There has to be some way to make sense of it all.

Sitting down on my bed, I begin to try and figure things out.

First things first; Claire is married to Cliff. Then, Doctor Trent is married to Elli, whom I'm assuming is the nurse in that town. The doctor doesn't seem like the type to make many friends easily, unless it's connected to work or the other person puts in effort themselves. Judging by the way that Claire reacted about Elli, she's good friends with her too.

Claire is good friends with Trent. And Trent loves her. But none of this explains why he never proposed to her, or why Cliff didn't try and make more of an effort to show Claire he loves her.

Another thing that I can't seem to figure out is why Trent chose now of all times to confess to her.

While I mull things over, I hear a light knock on my door and I look up to see Sabrina in the doorway, a concerned look on her face.

"V-Vaughn," she mumbles, "I just bumped into Chelsea while she was on her way back to her farm…and she looks troubled. I figure that right now you know her even better than Julia…did something happen?"

As she peers at me with her big, innocent eyes, I sigh and look down.

"Sabrina," I start, causing her to give a little jump as it's probably the first time I've ever addressed her directly, "what if you were in love with your best friend, and they got married to someone else and then years later while they were going through some kind of marital problems you confessed?"

"Huh?"

"Just…well I've got a friend who's married now. And he and his wife are having problems. And…his wife's best friend confessed to her just recently. Why do you think he'd do that?"

I can almost see the gears clicking in her head as she tries to sort it out, her eyebrows knitting together while she thinks the whole thing through.

"Well…" she finally says, "maybe the friend thinks that now he has a chance. I mean, if the wife and husband loved each other before and were focused mostly on each other, the best friend wouldn't stand a chance, but now that there are problems he's going to use that as a way to completely break the bond they have…that's all I can think of."

She looks at me expectantly, like now that she's answered my question I'll tell her what's going on. Instead, I sit up slowly as things click together in my head.

Of course.

Trent's confessing now, because now Claire and Cliff are having the biggest breakthrough of all. When they were in their stagnant relationship, he had no chance because he knew that even though Claire was being hurt, she hadn't said anything to her husband.

In not saying anything, she had no right to complain or be truly upset with the way her marriage was going. Now that she and Cliff are truly fighting and are seriously having problems, she's even more lost and confused than she was before.

Trent wants to use her confusion to sway her heart towards him.

And by the looks of things, it's working.

xxxxxxxXXXXXXXxxxxXXXXXxxxxxXXXXXXxxxxxXXXXXxxxxx

When I get to the festival, I'm surprised to see that Chelsea's already there. Didn't she want me to save her a seat?

Then again, she IS with Julia, so it's not too surprising that she's already here without me. I walk over and sit down next to her while she laughs loudly and Mark winks at me from across the table. It seems everyone's already here, already having secured a table away from both the adults and the children on the islands.

As I sit down, Pierre turns to me and says in a relieved sounding voice, "Oh good, you're here." Immediately, that puts me on edge. Seeing that I've tensed up, Julia laughs.

"It's just Chelsea," she explains. "We all got here early, and so we started drinking and she seems to have already come to her limit…"

I don't understand until Chelsea finally turns to me, throwing herself on me.

"Vaaaaughnnn~" she sings in a slurred voice, "You caaame!~"

My face must be a picture of surprise because everyone at the table bursts out in laughter before Mark says, "She's always been bad at holding her own. You'll just have to take her back later, after we're all done."

I frown and make a threatening face at them while they all get up and head over to the large table in the center, which holds the food. That leaves me with Chelsea, who immediately proceeds to poke my cheek while she stares at me, her eyes filled with wonder like she hasn't ever seen someone as fascinating as me before.

It reminds me of a little kid's curiosity, to be honest, although on Chelsea it's actually really cute.

"Heyyy," she says, wobbling a little and catching my attention. I grab her shoulder as she starts to fall backwards and she giggles before smacking my face between her hands and looking at me with a large, happy smile.

"You have a funny face," she informs me with her big, innocent looking smile. I look away, and when I see that the others are all smirking at me I know my face must be red beyond belief.

I'm going to kill them all later for letting Chelsea get this drunk.

While I make silent threats at the others in my head, Chelsea seems to remember something unpleasant and frowns before tugging at my sleeve.

"Wh-what?" I snap, and she scrunches her face up in deep thought.

"Some…thing…bad happen?" she manages to get out, reaching up to run her fingers over my forehead, like doing so will smooth out the angry lines there.

"Nothing bad happened. Let's just take you home and put you to bed, before you cause any damage," I mutter, standing up and putting my arm around her, getting ready to escort her away from the festival.

At first, she doesn't seem to realize what I'm doing, but as we head towards her farm she gets the idea and starts to throw a tantrum, her fists flailing as she tries to hit me.

"Nooooo~" she cries, "I don't wannna leaveee~"

When it gets troublesome to dodge her fists, I close my eyes in irritation and then pick her up, swinging her onto my shoulder where she kicks and protests even more loudly. At this point, I don't care if she finds out about how I carried her off and gets mad at me; if she stays any longer she'll only embarrass both of us further.

As soon as we get back to her house, I toss her on her bed and turn around quickly, bolting the door. There's no way I'm letting her escape to wander around in her current state. When I turn around though, I quickly realize I have an even bigger problem to deal with; she's pulling off her shirt like it's no big deal, a sleepy look on her face.

"Chelsea."

She looks up at my stern voice, confusion painted on her face as she pauses in her attempt to strip herself of all her clothes.

"Oohhh," she says, before sliding off the bed and walking over to me, her feet pattering lightly as she runs up to me with a happy smile on her face. "Did you want to help?" she asks, throwing her arms around me while I turn red and shove her off.

This is going to be harder than I thought.

* * *

**Slowly but surely it is coming along XD I'll try and update as frequently as I was before, but I'm also trying to work on a request for one of my other stories right now XD Urter, if you're reading this, I haven't forgotten about you! I'm working on it, I promise!  
Also, in answer to a review, I'm not sure if Chelsea and Vaughn should progress onto the next stage of romance after boyfriend/girlfriend...that much can be up to you, the readers to decide :) If I get enough requests for a marriage or more smexy time (yes, that is what I call it) then I'll happily work things that way :) Other than that, I've no real plans for them yet XD**

**So, once again, thanks for reading (seriously, because the support is what fuels me to keep writing when I'm in a dark hole and can't find a way out) and feel free to leave thoughts on whatever you like! Until next time :)**


	54. Chapter 54

**Alright, first things first XD I'm sorry I didn't update yesterday, I spent most of it watching a new series...I literally went to write and was all "let me just watch a few episodes of Toradora" (which is one of my favorite shows ever) and then that turned into "let's look at the list of shows I haven't watched yet" and then that turned into me sitting in the corner of a dark room watching Soul Eater and cackling to myself for about three hours straight XD  
**

**So yeah. I've been hermiting quite a bit. When I came down to dinner yesterday my dad was surprised and said he wondered where I've been since he hadn't seen me for three days straight XD**

**Anyways, here are 3 chapters to make up for my laziness :) I hope you enjoy them!**

* * *

_~Chelsea~_

I don't really remember much of what happened, after getting back to the islands. All I remember is confusion , and then Mark's face. There are also some memories of Vaughn's face, although in every memory he seems to be blushing and trying to avoid looking at me, though I've no idea why.

As I slowly come to my senses, I feel myself rising and falling as someone's breath tickles my face. When I open my eyes and look up, I'm not surprised to see it's Vaughn.

Seeing him like this always makes me smile; accordingly so, I raise myself up and sit on him, poking his forehead and giggling when he makes a face in his sleep.

"Hey," I whisper, poking him again, "Wake up, sleepy head."

He grumbles a bit before trying to turn over in his sleep, and I giggle before poking him even harder. This causes his eyes to snap open, and I grin before saying, "Wanna make me breakfast?"

Instead of being happy, like a normal boyfriend, he yelps and tries to extract himself from me.

I frown, and scold him while he sits on the floor, looking down at it and panting hard. "Seriously Vaughn? This isn't even the first time this has happened…why are you acting like that? Don't you like me?" I give him a mock pout.

"Just…Just stop. Stop talking." He growls, and I freeze immediately, not sure what to make of his voice. It sounds like he's seriously pissed off.

"V-Vaughn? Are…are you okay?" I ask, and he looks up at me, his face red while he tries to look angry.

"Do you…have any idea what you put me through last night?" he asks, and I pale a bit as I realize I can't really answer his question. The way he's looking at me has me wondering exactly what I did to make him so angry.

"N…no?" I stutter, and he sighs, a long irritated sound escaping his mouth.

"First," he starts, "you tried to take off all your clothes, and you asked me to help you. Then, when I tried to shove you into the shower and rinse the smell of alcohol off you and your clothes, you threw your arms around me and pulled me into the tub with you and got us both wet.

"Because of that, I had to take off your clothes and put on dry ones, all without looking at you. Do you have any idea how hard it is to dress someone without looking at them, especially when they're drunk and constantly moving around?

"And then, because that wasn't enough, you kept trying to take off your clothes again once I had you all fixed up and was trying to get you to go to sleep. I ended up falling asleep next to you out of exhaustion…"

I blink, surprised at how much he's ranted. I don't think I've ever heard him say so much in one sitting, let alone while he has on such a cute face; he's trying hard to look angry, but the blush is killing his effect. Clearly, he was at odds with himself last night, trying his hardest to not do anything to me in my drunken state.

While I stare, he finally jumps to his feet and grabs me firmly by the shoulders, looking me straight in the eye.

"Chelsea, don't ever get drunk again!" he says, and at that I can't help but bust out laughing. While he looks at me, shocked, I try to talk but every word is interrupted by a peal of laughter.

"I-! I'm sorry!" I manage to gasp out between laughs, "B-but you just-! You're so angry-! Over something like that…!"

When he sees I'm laughing, he pouts and crosses his arms, looking away like he's embarrsed.

"…shut up. It's not funny…it was hard not to do something stupid last night."

"Okay, okay! But," and here I lean forward kissing his nose before leaning back to wink at him ,"I won't mind if you do something stupid tonight, while I'm aware of it."

xxxxxxxXXXXxxxxxXXXXXxxxxxXXXXXXXXXxxxxxxxxXXXXXXX xxxxxx

He's quiet, as we walk to the café together to get something to eat. I'm starting to think he takes my teasing far too seriously…although in all honesty I wasn't entirely teasing.

While I mull that over, he clears his throat and I freeze, knowing what's coming.

"Chelsea…we have to help your mom and dad."

"I know that. But what the hell am I supposed to do about that…that huge MESS? I don't even know where to begin."

Vaughn shoots me a troubled look, and I grumble a bit to myself while trying to figure out what to do. It's obvious that I have to help my parents, but the problem is that I don't know HOW to.

I mean, how do you even begin to intrude on that kind of delicate relationship?

Somehow, I can't help but feel all over again that me even showing up again in their lives is what started this mess in the first place. As if he can read my thoughts, Vaughn puts a hand on my shoulder and grunts, "It's not your fault. This was bound to happen sooner or later, the way they were both acting before you saw them again."

While I nod slowly, he seems to think hard about something before an idea clicks. Looking down at me, he smiles and says, "Chelsea. I know how we can fix this."

xxxxxxxXXXXXXXxxxxxxxxxxXXXXXXXXXXXXXxxxxxxXXXXXXX XXXXXxxxxXXXXxxxx

It's an interesting idea, of course. What Vaughn proposes to do is something that's sure to reignite the flames of passion that my parents seem to have lost.

The only problem now is that we have to edge them towards it, and that we have to convince the rest of the town and Carter to help along.

Yeah. Good luck getting Doctor Trent to jump on THAT bandwagon.

While I make a face, sure that it can't be done, Vaughn smiles before lightly flicking my forehead.

"Ow," I complain, "What was that for?"

"Cheer up," he tells me, grabbing the pot of coffee that sits at the table and pouring me a fresh mug. "We can do this. I'm here with you every step of the way, I promise."

As I nod in agreement, he downs the rest of his coffee before standing up and making a wry face.

"I'll get going then. Make sure you take the boat at one, so that I can be there waiting for you on the beach when you get there. I don't want you wandering around there alone."

I pull a face at this and say, "Excuse me, it's not wandering if you know where you're going. I DID live there once you know."

"I know. And I don't want them bullying you if they figure out who you are, so just deal with me being overprotective, okay?"

When he puts things like that, I've no heart to argue with him; especially when he's making such an earnest face.

I never thought Vaughn, for all his grumpiness and stand-offish mannerisms, would be able to have such an honest expression on his face.


	55. Chapter 55

_~Vaughn~_

I may have spoken a little too soon, I realize, when I find myself staring at an extremely depressed Cliff. He's leaning against the fence of the winery, except for instead of using his arms he's using his face to prop himself up while he stands there, stiff as a board.

It would be comical, minus the fact that there's practically a visible dark aura swirling around him right now.

This time, I've come back to Mineral Town on my own in order to get some more information, and by the looks of things something big has happened. Hopefully it isn't because Claire's finally taken up the doctor on his confessions of love.

Warily, I approach the older man and clear my throat.

"Uh…Cliff?"

It takes all my willpower to not leap back and shout when he slowly turns his head around, his features distorted with gloom and sorrow. It's even worse than the first time I saw him; he really looks like he's drowning in a black hole of despair right now.

"Oh…Vaughn…" he says in a voice drained of all hope. "What are you doing here?"

Quickly I walk over to him and shake his shoulders.

"Cliff, what's wrong?"

Cliff's head lolls to the side and he stares off distantly while murmuring, "Claire asked me…if I loved her…I said yes…then…" his eyes start to tear up as he remembers it, "she said she didn't believe me!"

While he bursts out into sobs, I receive a few glares from some passer-bys, and quickly I grab his arm and drag him off towards a more secluded area.

xxxxxxxXXXXXxxxxxXXXXXxxxxxXXXXXXXxxxxxxxXXXXXXxxx xx

Luckily, he's calmed down by the time we reach the spring that I found near the farm. While I pant heavily, having literally dragged him through the streets to get here, he totters over to a nearby stump and sits down, staring blankly at the ground.

Did it really bother him that much that Claire doesn't believe him? If it did, that means he loves her, but then why hasn't he done anything to prove it to her?!

While I think all this silently, Cliff mumbles something into his hands. All his moping is starting to tick me off; accordingly so, I stride over to him and stand over him with my arms crossed.

"Cliff."

"Huh?" he looks up, surprised at the angry tone in my voice.

"Why are you so upset about this? You brought it on yourself," I scold, watching as he tears up slightly again. "Just prove to her that you love her and everything will be fine again. And Chelsea will be able to visit more if you do that."

Cliff sighs deeply before admitting, "I don't know HOW to prove it to her…honestly, it's been so long since I really did anything nice for her, like give her a gift or take her out on a date that I've no idea what to do about it."

Just looking at him is pissing me off. Giving him a light knock on the head, I kick the stump before muttering, "Just think about why you married her in the first place. Use that feeling to prove it to her…stupid."

Cliff tilts his head to the side, like he's trying to understand.

"You mean…if I remember WHY I love her then I'll prove it to her?"

I'm about to nod at him when I catch a glimpse of his face. He looks just like Chelsea; his eyes are sparkling with hope that he's figured out the right answer, and his hands are clenched into fists eagerly, like he's waiting for me to say he's right.

How old is this guy anyways?!

While I clench my fists and resist the urge to knock some sense into him, he thinks aloud.

"I love Claire…because of her strength. And her sense of humor…and just…because she's HER." There's a kind of pure radiance emanating from his face right now that actually calms me down for a bit, and I sit down on the stump beside his before smiling at him.

"So you do remember then. Alright, answer this for me; why was she upset at you?"

"Because…" Cliff furrows his eyebrows, "I lost sight of her. I forgot she even existed…"

I nod, then punch him lightly on the arm. It's almost weird to think that he's Chelsea's dad; the way we treat each other at this point is like we're friends who went to school together.

"You know what you have to do then, right? Just prove to her that you see her, and that she's not just some insignificant person."

xxxxxxxXXXXXxxxxxXXXXXXxxxxxxXXXXXXXxxxxxXXXXXxxxx xxx

I leave Cliff mumbling to himself on the stump. After my encouragements and scolding, he seems to have started reminiscing about when they were first dating, and I don't want to disturb him.

He's already heading down the path towards my plan perfectly.

Quickly, I set off for the beach, surprised when I see that Chelsea's already waiting for me. I smile as she turns to me, her eyes brightening when she sees me.

"Ready?" I ask, holding out my hand to her. She gives me a smile in return before slipping her hand into mine and murmuring, "Ready."

We walk through the town as fast as we can without attracting any attention, until we're back on the farm again. Once there, I let her go towards the house.

"Stay right outside this window," Chelsea tells me, pointing to where we hid the night we discovered everything. "I want you to chase off Trent if he comes here trying to talk to my mom."

I nod, and watch from behind a tree as she knocks on the door and Claire answers. Her mom seems pleasantly surprised, before tears well up and she starts sobbing, throwing herself on Chelsea and dragging her inside.

Sheesh. She and Cliff are both so torn up about this that it's OBVIOUS that they're just aching to be together again.

Slowly, I creep up to the window and lean against the house, eavesdropping.

"Mom, stop crying," Chelsea says, sounding exasperated.

"I-I can't help it!" Claire sobs. "Chelsea, it's been so AWFUL! Your dad admitted the other day that he basically didn't pay attention to me AT ALL since you left!"

"He admitted to it at least. Besides, you love dad, so you two should stop fighting. Yes," she says, as I assume Claire has a surprised expression on her face, "I know about you two fighting. So stop crying and sit down and talk to me. Be the mom I remember you being; cool, and tough, where you didn't take anyone's crap."

"That's not who I am anymore, Chelsea. I was like that, long ago, but then you left and Cliff turned away from me and I had nothing to support me. And every time I tried to be myself, the rest of the town hated me for it."

"Except Trent, right?"

A silence falls and I risk a peek inside. Claire's standing on one side of the table, facing Chelsea. Chelsea's got her hands on her hips and is looking sternly at her mother, while Claire's face contorts painfully.

"What about Trent?" Claire forces out, and Chelsea smirks before shrugging.

"I don't know. All I know is that Dad told me you two are close…and that you started talking to him instead. From the way that sounds, it seems pretty dumb to me that you didn't try and talk to Dad instead of the doctor."

At this, Claire trembles before glaring at her daughter. "Like I had a choice?" she all but spats. "Cliff was too busy with work. And then, to make matters worse, he started going to the Inn every night for dinner instead of coming home. What was I supposed to do, when he wouldn't even come home to the food I made for him every night?"

Chelsea's expression softens a bit at this, and she lowers her hands and gives her mom a sad smile.

"I know it was hard on you. But I think things were hard on Dad too, and he didn't know what to do either. Remember what you used to tell me, when I was younger and asked about how you and Dad were before you got married?

"You always told me how shy he was, and how he refused to speak about his problems to you because he didn't want to worry you. You said it was his way of taking care of you; by trying to handle everything himself.

"Mom, you blame Dad for losing sight of you, but did it ever occur to you that maybe you lost sight of him?"

xxxxxxXXXXXxxxxxxXXXXXXXxxxxxx

We leave after that, both of us heading back towards the sunny islands. As we sit on the boat, Chelsea sighs and throws her hands up in the air, a frown on her face.

"Do you think we've started them on the right path?" she asks, turning her head ever so slightly to gauge my reaction.

I shrug, but then bump her shoulder when she pouts and looks out at the waves.

"I think so," I say as confidentally as I can, remembering both the expressions we left on her parents' faces.

Cliff looked determined, and Claire…well Claire looked like she realized something.

Now it's just a matter of talking to that creepy priest…

I'm so busy wrapped up in my own thoughts that I don't even notice when Chelsea tugs at my sleeve.

"Hey Vaughn," she asks, "Where are we gonna get a blue feather?"


	56. Chapter 56

_~Chelsea~_

When a look of panic crosses his face, I frown. There's no way…he clearly hasn't though through this whole plan, no matter how confident he acts.

"Do you mean to tell me," I say, watching as he flinches at the tone of my voice, "You want my parents to renew their vows but you can't figure out how or where we can get a blue feather for my dad to even propose again?"

While he waves his arms frantically, a panicked look on his face, I sigh and stand up as the island comes into sight.

"…Stupid."

"Wha-?"

As I step off the boat, I hit him lightly on the head but give him a smile. I know exactly what I can do…and I know exactly who to ask.

xxxxxXXXXXxxxxxxXXXXXXxxxxxXXXXXXxxxxxXXXXxxxxxx

"Mark," I address my friend sternly, and he sits up from where he was lying on his bed.

"Chelsea!" he says, pleased to see me. He jumps up to hug me but I hold up a hand, signaling to him that I'm here on important business. When he sees that I'm serious, he backs away to sit back on the bed.

He closes his eyes, and when he reopens them I smile; this is how I know he's taking me seriously. It was always like this when we were living together too-he'd be a hopeless, happy-go-lucky kind of guy but when he needed to sober up he did a damn good job of it.

Leaning forward, he speaks gently.

"Chelsea, what is it?"

"I need your help. It's about my parents."

When he hears the reason, he perks up a little then leans back, thinking hard. He seems to recall what little I've told him about them, and he frowns before looking hard at me.

"What happened?"

"Their marriage is in trouble. We need them to redo their wedding ceremony…and for that we need…"

"A blue feather."

"Precisely. But I don't know where I can get one, and so quickly too. This needs to be done as soon as possible, before their relationship really goes to bits."

Mark sits back and hums a little bit to himself before making a face.

"Won't their old blue feather do?"

"Huh?"

"No, seriously, listen to this. Just get him to give her the same blue feather she gave him years ago. That way, it'll also come off as him having kept it for so long because it was precious. And if he cherished it that much…"

It clicks and I smile at him, our grins identical.

"Then it means he cherishes her. Mark, you're brilliant."

"I know."

xxxxxxXXXXXxxxxxXXXXXxxxxXXXXxxxxXXXXxxxxx

When I excitedly run up to Vaughn the next day, he looks at me curiously.

"So? You figured something out?" he says, giving a light laugh as I pout and elbow him.

"No thanks to you," I pout, but then grin back when he leans down to give me a good morning kiss.

As he pulls back to straighten up again, I boast, "You'll have to thank my genius of a friend, Mark for this solution by the way."

Vaughn's expression is priceless when he hears the solution that Mark came up with, and he pouts as we head towards the boat and get on.

"You went to him? Couldn't you have just waited for me to come up with the solution?" he mutters, looking away as he grabs a strand of my hair and lets it slip between his fingers.

He doesn't seem to mind that Kirk, who's driving us to Meadow Island as we speak, is laughing to himself while he looks out at the waves.

"V-Vaughn, don't make that face," I manage to gasp out as his hand drops to my waist. Normally, this would not be a problem even in front of Kirk, but today Vaughn is being a little more daring than usual; his finger runs over the band of my shorts lightly.

I'm so thankful when we get to the island and run off, out of sight from Kirk who looks like he'll have lots to talk about later when he gets back.

When we're finally alone, I scold Vaughn, shaking my finger at him as I say, "Honestly! Can't you behave yourself in front of others more?"

He laughs low and before I know it I'm flying through the air. The wind rushes past me as I fall to the ground, Vaughn's arms wrapped around me.

"Honestly yourself," he murmurs into my ear while I shiver at his tone, "How am I supposed to behave myself when I'm around you?"

While I struggle half-heartedly he kisses my neck softly and says, "Hey, stop wriggling. We hardly have anytime together like this anymore…"

"I don't know what you're talking about," I say, and suddenly what was him kissing me softly turns into a playful fight.

I can tell he's being as gentle as he can, and that he's tolerating my mood because he knows I'm antsy about my parents. Just how much does he intend to do for me anyways?

Sometimes, I feel bad, like I haven't been able to do anything for him despite all he's done for me. While I think this, I let my guard down and the fight ends quickly thereafter, Vaughn sitting on me and smirking down at me.

"You stopped trying, so I thought you wanted me to win," he points out when I start struggling again. Before I can argue with him, he reaches out and softly lets his fingers trail across my cheek.

"You've done so much for me," he says, smiling at me. "How could you possibly think that you've done nothing, when you're the one who's made me able to really smile again?"

"That's….that's not what I was thinking," I mutter, and he smirks and leans down so that our noses are touching.

"Oh? Why were you making that face then?"

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"Hmmm…guess I'll just have to get an answer out of you then."

"What's that supposed to mean?" I say, just about to make my escape from underneath him when his hands pin my wrists down and he grins at me, his violet eyes flashing.

The cool whisper of breath on my ear is enough to drive me crazy, but when he lightly bites the tip of it I turn red and freeze.

"Why don't you find out?"

* * *

**Okay, smexy time :D My style of writing for that kind of thing is quite light, so don't expect like...a lemon, per say. I mean, I could probably write one, but if I did it wouldn't be for this story, it'd be like the sequel of my Two Towns and Lilly story, and on top of that I'd like it to be requested by enough people so I know that I didn't write it and nearly die in the process only to have no one read it XD  
So yeah. Just putting that out there (since I don't know whether or not you guys even like lemons...I read one and nearly died of embarrassment after figuring out what it was).**

Anyways, feel free to leave thoughts as usual, and thanks so much for all the support! :) You guys rock my socks! 


	57. Chapter 57

_~Vaughn~_

Cliff seems surprised when I show up the next day and ask him if he has the blue feather Claire gave him.

"H-how did you know she proposed to me?" he asks for a second, before remembering that I'm dating his daughter. He seems to forget that fact quite a lot, although it's not too surprising; I keep coming over here without Chelsea, and we hardly speak of her together so it's only natural he'd forget we're dating. Not to mention how preoccupied he's been the last few days, thinking all this through.

"I have it," he says softly, a smile on his face as he thinks about it. "Of course I still have it. But why do you want to know that?"

I give him a grin and push up the brim of my hat so that we're looking at each other straight in the eye.

"Because it's going to fix your marriage. Propose to Claire, and just get married again."

He stares at me like the idea never occurred to him before and like I'm a genius for thinking it up.

"You…do you really think that'll work?" he breathes, looking for all the world like an anxious child. It's easy to see where Chelsea gets her innocent faces from; her dad, for all his gloominess can be just like a kid too at times.

"Of course it'll work. It'll be like reigniting the flame of love or whatever."

I resist the urge to smack myself in the face for saying something so lame, but when Cliff hears it he lights up entirely and runs over to a bag on the other side of the room where he's staying. After rummaging around a bit, he produces a pristine looking blue feather.

"Wow…this thing's in top condition," I say, looking at it closely.

"Of course it is; it's something important to me," Cliff says simply, and for a moment I wish Claire was here to see the look on his face. If she could see him right now, she'd never have any doubts about him.

He straightens up then, and the look of determination on his face causes me to smile. How could Claire ever doubt him?

xxxxxxxXXXXXXXxxxxxXXXXXXXxxxxxxxxXXXXXXxxxxXXXXXx xxxxx

"Did he do it yet?" Chelsea asks breathlessly, trying her best to keep up with me as I walk as fast as possible towards the mountain in the distance.

As soon as Cliff ran off to talk to his wife, I called Julia and told her to send Chelsea over here. Luckily the boat trip between the islands and Mineral Town isn't too far, otherwise this wouldn't have been possible.

"No, but I think he's about to…"

"Well, let's hurry up and see!"

She speeds up her pace, and begins running while I jog lightly behind her. By the look on her face, I can tell she's truly anxious to see what's going to happen.

We reach a lake, and I can see a bridge heading towards the mountain where I know the two of them will be. We're about to continue on when Doctor Trent steps out of the bushes.

"Oh, Chelsea." He says, a smile on his face as he brushes off some leaves and twigs.

Chelsea instantly freezes, a look of fear coming over her face. Quickly, I pull her behind me and glare at the doctor.

"Trent." I say, by way of hello, and he nods before his expression sobers.

"So, it looks like you figured things out without me even having to tell you…which is just as well, I guess. I wanted to be honest about this to someone, but since you already know I guess it's okay."

"What do you want from her, Trent?"

The doctor closes his eyes, and smiles again. There's something almost bone-chilling about his smile; like he's plotting something, and he can't wait to put it into action.

"Claire…Claire should be with someone who can take care of her. Like me. All I wanted was to be with her…I intended to tell you after I'd won your mother over completely. But," and here his expression hardens, "it seems like that won't be the case."

This guy…he's crazy. Cliff and everyone else in town can think he's apathetic, but by the look he's throwing our way it's enough that it has even me taken aback.

The doctor continues talking, oblivious to our stupefied silence.

"I also wanted to thank you, for showing up and tearing them apart in the first place," the doctor says with a malicious laugh, "because that was what allowed me to finally tell Claire what I've been hiding for years.

"How I loathed their wedding. How I despised mine even more. I married my associate hoping to take away feelings for Claire, hoping that maybe my lusting for her would go away. That was a mistake in itself. In the end, both our families got destroyed.

"I did love my son, make no mistake about that. But Chelsea…had you been my daughter, I would have loved you that much more. Because you are Claire's…and that makes you special."

Chelsea's trembling so hard that I swear I hear my shirt rip as she grabs onto the back of it, pulling herself closer to me.

"I don't understand…what do you want?" she whispers out, and Trent sighs before laughing softly.

"I told you. I want Claire. And unless I have YOU on my side…I won't have her. Please, Chelsea. Help me."

I want to punch this guy's face in. How could he be so twisted, so messed up? It's like he has no consideration at all for other's feelings, and the way he's acting right now is beyond mental.

It's like he's snapped.

But before any of us can react, there's a flash of blonde and Claire's there, pushing the doctor away as she runs towards us with Cliff on her heels.

"Chelsea!" she calls, and I move aside as she tackles her daughter in a hug.

"Thank you," Claire whispers to her, smoothing her hair while Chelsea shakes and hugs her mother back. Claire smiles, then pats her lightly on the head before standing up and turning to Trent, who's standing where he was before.

He looks confused as Claire straightens up and walks over to him, and I shoot a look at Cliff who just smiles back at me before putting an arm around Chelsea's shoulders.

"Trent." Claire says flatly, and before he can answer her she slaps him. The sound echoes around the area, and after a minute the doctor raises his hand to his cheek and looks at Claire incredulously.

"Cl…aire?"

"Idiot. Did you think that I would be cruel enough to abandon my own family? Did you think that even though you confessed to me, I'd leave the one I love? Yes, Cliff was a fool. But so was I. It seems though, that you're the biggest fool of all. Instead of trying to break us apart, if you really loved me shouldn't you only wish for my happiness?"

As this idea seems to just come to the doctor, he blinks and takes a step back, looking at the ground with a confused face.

"But I couldn't stand it…all those years of wanting but never being able to do anything…"

"That still makes you an idiot for not doing anything while you had the chance. That chance was gone the moment you gave up on me and let Cliff come into my life."

Claire's expression softens for a second, and she tilts her head and smiles sadly at the doctor for a moment, causing him to blush a bit.

"You're my dearest friend in the world, Trent. I can forgive you…if you can promise you'll stop acting like this. This isn't you at all. The Trent I know is a bit thickheaded, but is devoted to his work and to his associate. For as much as you claim you never loved Elli, weren't you always worried about her the most?"


	58. Chapter 58

_~Chelsea~_

"Oh Chelsea, you're beautiful!" my mother exclaims as I tug at the skirt of the dress.

"I feel…stupid," I admit as she flutters around me, adjusting everything and completely ignoring the fact that Elli is trying to fix her own dress.

"What are you talking about? You're so pretty! I can't believe I missed out on you growing up to be so big," my mom pouts. I laugh and take her hands in mine.

In the past week, we've spent a lot of time together as a family with dad, but now that it's finally the day of their second wedding, I've come to play the part as the Maid of Honor.

Ironically enough, Vaughn's the best man.

While Elli adjusts my mom's veil, I watch as the two of them exchange a sly wink before turning to me.

"So…when are you and Vaughn going to get married?" my mom wants to know, and I start to cough, having choked on my own spit in surprise.

"What?" I manage to gasp out after she pats my back a bit. At my reaction, my mom frowns and puts her hands on her hips.

"Don't give me that 'what' and such a confused face!" she growls, sounding more like herself and less like some kind of fairy princess. "I thought by now he'd have said SOMETHING to you, especially since you two have been together for so long!"

"Mom…I mean, I've just started my own farm barely a year ago and…"

"I'll have you know I married your father in that same time, when I was just starting out myself. And besides that, having someone to help you on the farm really helps it to grow! Geez, that stupid boy better propose to you quickly," my mom rants, and at that I can't help but laugh.

"Let's just finish this wedding first, before we worry about any other ones, okay?" I say, holding out her bouquet to her with a grin.

xxxxxxxXXXXXXxxxxxxXXXXXXxxxxxXXXXXXxxxxxXXXXXXXxx xxxx

As the beach comes back into sight, I give a loud sigh and stretch.

"So Julia said Alisa wanted to see us about something?"

Vaughn nods and then shrugs. With another sigh, I sit back down next to him and lean closer, relishing the scent that seems to always float around him.

"Wonder what it could be," I think out loud and Vaughn just shrugs again before looking out at the water. This irritates me, and I climb on his lap and pull his cheek, catching his attention.

"Oy," I say grumpily, "what's with that face? Why are you so quiet?"

He leans back and grabs my hands, a frown on his face as he looks at me sullenly. While I struggle to free my hands he looks away, still frowning.

"Nothing's wrong."

"Liar."

"I'm just deep in thought, okay?"

"Well, why do you look so angry?"

"I'm not angry."

"That's not fair!" I cry, ripping my hands away from him and pouting as I move to the other side of the bench we're sitting on.

"What's not fair?" he grumbles, and I smack him on the head before crossing my arms and saying, "You never tell me anything. I want to help you, because…you know…"

"Know what?"

"Damn it…" It's my turn to grumble as I gather up my courage to say the one thing I've wanted to say for awhile, but haven't been able to.

"Chelsea, know what?"

"Shut up! It's because I love you, that's why I want to help you!"

When I yell that out, I blush furiously as the other passengers on the boat shoot us looks that say, 'ah, to be young and in love', smiling ridiculously at us. Ducking my head, I close my eyes and pray that I'll never see anyone on this boat ever again so that I can be spared the embarrassment of having confessed something in such a callous manner.

Vaughn's silent for a minute, before he says in a low voice, "You love me?"

I avoid his piercing gaze (which I can feel boring into my back) and mutter, "Yes. Deal with it."

He laughs softly, and then I feel warmth as his hands takes mine as he whispers, "I love you too. Thanks for telling me that. It made me feel a lot better."

xxxxxxxXXXXXxxxxxXXXXXXxxxxXXXXXXxxxxXXXXXxxxxXXXX XXxxxxxx

As soon as my feet touch the sand of the beach, I'm find myself being tackled by Julia, who laughs as she grabs my arm and pulls me away from Vaughn.

"Gotta get going, see you later!" she calls over her shoulder, as she drags me towards the boat between islands and puts me on it, waving merrily to Vaughn who looks extremely pissed off as he makes a fist and shakes it at her.

"Julia? Where are we going?" I ask, surprised at her attack. My friend just winks at me and punches me lightly in the shoulder before saying, "Well I told you we were needed by Alisa, didn't I? At least, I told Vaughn to tell you that. Anyways, besides that I haven't seen you around in so long! I have so much to tell you!"

I smile; I have to admit, I've missed really spending time with Julia. It's hard to believe that we've only been friends for a year now, considering that so much has happened and that she's always been there for me even when I haven't been there for her.

"So what does Alisa want anyways?"

"I dunno. Probably has something to do with the Harvest Goddess Festival. I think she just wants help decorating the Church, but she figures that the boys are delicate enough to make paper flowers and hearts."

Julia and I exchange grins, knowing full well that neither of us are all that delicate either.

"Ah, whatever! It'll be a way to pass time," I say, leaning back and blushing a little as I think about Vaughn's reaction to my confession. I don't think I could be any happier than I am now, to be honest.

"You're not even going to ask me?" Julia teases, and I look over at her before freezing. She's got a chain around her neck that I never even noticed, but in addition to that in the palm of her hand is a shiny ring.

"WHAAAAAAAAAT?" I shout, and she clamps a hand over my mouth before blushing furiously.

"Geez Chelsea, you're so loud!" she complains, but then she winks at me as she holds the ring up so that I can get a better look at it.

"Elliot gave this to you?"

"Yeah! He said it's a 'promise' that we'll get married once he succeeds the family business!"

We squeal a bit together as the boat comes to a stop and we get out and head towards the church. It's so surprising, to think that Elliot would do something like that.

It seems he's gotten bolder, in the time that I've been off the island. Not to mention that the two have probably been together every time I've disappeared with Vaughn.

"I know what you're thinking…'why did he just propose to me instead'?" Julia says quietly, a smile on her beautiful face. I freeze in place and stare at her suspiciously.

"Are you some kind of mind reader?" I want to know, and she smiles at me before stretching and looking up at the sky.

"He wants to be successful first. But, he didn't want me to get the idea that he was never planning on proposing. I mean, already I heard Denny's planning something for Lanna, and you and Vaughn are the talk of the island."

"But Vaughn hasn't even-"

"I know. But it'll happen soon; everyone knows it. It's so OBVIOUS Chelsea. The way he looks at you…I'm envious in a way, because I don't even know if Elliot gives me that kind of look. You two have always been together since the start, and you've grown and changed together in just a year.

"How could he let things remain, when it's so clear that he wants more of you?"

xxxxxxxXXXXXXXXxxxxxxxXXXXXXXxxxxxXXXXXXXXxxxxxXXX XXXxxxxxx

That night, as I pull the covers over my head and snuggle down in my bed, I wonder what Julia meant when she said, 'it's so clear he wants more of you'.

Surely, she couldn't mean….

Just the thought of what she's implying has me blushing. Truth be told, it's not totally unexpected, but even when I think about it I still can't seem to wrap my head around the idea.

Then again, that might be what's been eating at him, as of late.

What if he's unsatisfied with the way our relationship is? Sure, we kiss and we hold hands and we've even shared a bed a few times, but what if he wants more than that?

He is older than me.

Granted, not by much, but he's older and I remember Mark telling me once to watch out for older guys because they're more experienced. I never understood what he meant until now.

Could that be it? Could that be why Vaughn's been so quiet lately?

Still…even thinking about it has me blushing, and has me worrying. What if I can't satisfy him, and he decides he's tired with this whole relationship? He's always doing things for me, and always putting me first…every time we're together, he pulls away as soon as I start trembling.

I don't always shake because I'm scared though; half of it seems to be anticipation of what's to come. But he doesn't know that.

"Mrrrrrrrr…" I roll over and wrap the covers even more tightly around myself.

Is it time to step up my game?

* * *

**Lol don't worry, she's not going to do anything as extreme as Cheryl...she's going to be really funny though. Something along the lines of, "I won't flirt, I will seduce you with my awkwardness" XD**

Anyways, this story really is coming to its close-I think I have two new stories planned though in its wake. One will be a Soul Eater story (because after watching it for two days straight and STILL not having finished it, I'm inspired anyways) and the other might be my take on Mineral Town. That way, I can also make up for having poor Trent be evil XD

**Well, until next time :) Feel free to leave thoughts and thanks for reading!**


	59. Chapter 59

_~Vaughn~_

The thought of what Cliff told me after the wedding is weighing heavily on my mind. So heavily, in fact, that I wasn't even able to pay proper attention to Chelsea.

It was nice though, to hear that she loves me. I didn't think that hearing her say that would make me feel so warm inside, and make me feel so darn happy.

I haven't been able to stop smiling since, although I've been doing all I can to hide it from Mirabelle while I was working.

Of course, her saying that gives me all the more reason to think that asking her now might be the right thing to do.

I was really surprised, to say the least, when Cliff scolded me to for not even calling marriage into mind for me and Chelsea. It wasn't that I never wanted to marry her; it's just that I don't know how I can do this.

Sometimes, I feel bad enough when I kiss her so much that I nearly lose my senses. Wouldn't me marrying her only give me reason to attack her? And what if she's not ready?

No. I'm not going to rush her into that sort of thing…but when her words from this afternoon ring in my mind, it feels like I won't be rushing her into anything at all.

Now, my only problem is where I'm going to get a blue feather for her.

xxxxxXXXXxxxxxxXXXXxxxxXXXXxxxXXXxxxXXXXxxxxXXXxxx xxx

I go to the only person I can go to for this kind of secret; Denny. The fisherman has proved so far to be the only person on this island that can keep a secret, and I really don't need Chelsea figuring this out before I even have things set down myself.

"What can I help you with?" Denny asks with a laid-back smile, as he untangles the fishing poles that sit in the middle of his floor.

"I need to get a blue feather, but I don't know how."

Denny's quiet for a moment while he thinks it over carefully, his nimble fingers quickly sorting through the knots and untying them with ease. I'm grateful that he's not like the other here on the island; anyone else by now would have been pestering me with questions at this point.

"Well…" Denny says slowly, "I think the general store will sell them but you have to make a request."

"If I make a request, everyone's going to know about it," I point out grumpily. I've already heard the story about Julia getting a ring from Elliot, and it was from Pierre of all people.

"Good point…why don't you ask around back at your place?"

"Huh?"

"Well, go back to your hometown and ask there. They have a general store, right? Plus, no one here knows anyone from there, so your secret should be safe."

Denny sits back, a proud look on his face at having come up with a great solution. I smile, then tug down my hat as I stand up to leave.

"Right. Thanks, Denny."

"Anytime, Vaughn. Just make sure I'm the first to know about it when you finally pop the question, okay?"

"Sure thing."

xxxxxxXXXXXxxxXXXXXxxxxXXXXxxxXXXXXxxxxXXXXXXxxxx

As I stand in front of the general store in Bluebell, I give a small cough before entering. I've always thought this store was beyond weird, but now that I'm inside it I remember that it just really doesn't fit in.

At all.

While I stand there nervously, towering over the counter, the store owner comes out singing to himself. As soon as he sees me, a smile lights up his face and he greets me pleasantly.

"Good morning, Vaughn!" he says. "How have you been?"

I don't want him to know that I've completely forgotten his name; I can't let on that I don't remember if I want him to order a blue feather for me.

"I'm fine thanks," I say in a rush. "Um…I was wondering…do you happen to have…"

"A blue feather?"

"Wait, how did you…?"

"Your aunt called and said I should order one. Seems to her that you'd be asking for one soon enough and she didn't want 'that darling girl' to wait."

I blush a little as the store keeper grins at me from underneath his bushy mustache and then leans over the counter to pat my head fondly.

"It's nice to see you happy again, Vaughn," he tells me. "I still remember when you used to come here with your mother, and you were always so happy and willing to help her carry her things home. Don't be a stranger, come by more often!"

As I depart, I wave to him and instantly feel ten times guiltier for not remembering his name.

On the way back towards the city, I decide to stop by my aunt and uncle's house and tell them what's going on. For as much as I've been aloof towards them, they've constantly done their best to try and take care of me.

I'm thankful, that they didn't give up on me even when I was so stubborn.

All it takes is a simple knock on the door and my aunt opens it, her eyes showing that she already knows what I'm here to tell her.

"Hello, Aunt Georgia," I cough, taking off my hat and leaning down slightly to let her pat me on the head, which she does so willingly.

"So you've finally come back then, have you?"

"I was just on the way back to the islands…I thought I'd say hello."

"Well don't just stand there, come on in! Kana wants to hear all about it."

She leads me to the dining room table where my uncle is sitting, his legs crossed as his eyebrows furrow together. He's clearly in deep thought when my aunt knocks him lightly on the head and says, "He's here!"

At the mention of my arrival, he opens his eyes and beams widely at me before motioning me to sit down.

"Vaughn," he starts, taking my aunt's hand as the two of them smile at me, "Make that girl happy."

xxxxxxXXXXXxxxxXXXXXxxxXXXXXxxxxXXXxxxxxXXXxxxxx

When I get back to the islands, I'm surprised that Julia seems to waiting for me. She's leaning against the door of the animal store, an amused look on her face.

As soon as she sees me, she pushes herself to stand up and walks over to greet me.

"Hey, you."

"What?"

"What did you say to Chelsea?"

"…what?"

Julia seems to think about something, before a mischievous grin spreads across her face. She walks away, shrugging casually like whatever she was going to say was no big deal.

"If you don't know anything I'm not going to say anything."

"Julia…" my voice is threatening, and she giggles before running off out of sight.

"Chelsea's waiting for you upstairs!" she calls over her shoulder, and I huff before turning on my heel and heading inside.

xxxxXXXXXxxxxXXXXXxxxxXXXXXXxxxxxx

There's no sign of Chelsea anywhere as I walk in my room. With a sigh, I kick my boots off and sit down on the bed. I'm about to take off my vest and throw off my hat when the door closes slowly, revealing Chelsea.

She shuts the door as she smiles at me, and something about the look in her eyes has me wanting to blush.

"Chelsea?" I say cautiously, and she steps towards me slowly while she raises her hand. As she reaches me, her fingers trace the brim of my hat before they wrap around it and she flicks the hat off easily.

"Wait, Chelsea-"

I find myself unable to speak as she presses her lips to mine smoothly. It's very different from how we've kissed before; rather than being shy like she normally would be, it almost seems like she's eager for something.

I get so lost in the feeling of kissing her that when I pull away for air finally, I notice that while we were kissing she's easily removed my vest and now has her hands on the bandanna that rests on my neck.

"I've been waiting for you, Vaughn," she says in a low voice, completely different from the normally sweet tone she uses. Her words send shivers down my spine as she murmurs them low into my neck, her fingers slowly untying the bandanna until it falls to the floor, where her bandanna and vest are.

"Chelsea…nnnn…" I surprise myself with the sound I make when she pushes me down on the bed and bites my lower lip.

This is really bad…but why am I not stopping her? I move my hand to push her off when she completely straddles me, running her fingers through my hair as she looks down at me, breathing heavily.

"Vaughn…" she says, her eyes pleading.

I can't take it anymore.

I rush up to meet her in a kiss.


	60. Chapter 60

_~Chelsea~_

I close my eyes tightly as he kisses me back, clenching my hands into fists.

This is what I want, right?

"Ah!" I make a sound as Vaughn flips me over so that he's over me, his shaggy hair brushing across my face gently while he looks down at me.

"Chelsea," he says low, "Is this really what you want?"

"Y..es." I say, but at the slight hesitation in my voice his eyes narrow and he gets off of me, sitting up next to me while I lie down on his bed.

"Chelsea, don't do that…" he says, sounding angry. I peek up at him and see that he's avoiding looking at me, and a blush stains his cheeks.

Could it be that my attack worked?

As if to dissuade me from trying to continue the attack, he coughs gruffly and then says, "Hey, let's go out somewhere."

I pout and roll over so that I'm on my stomach.

"Why, you didn't want to continue?"

"…no. Now come on."

Before I can protest again, or question the tone in his voice, he grabs my arm and pulls me out of the room. As we walk down the stairs, he pulls me forcefully outside and we walk all the way towards my farm before he pulls me past everything towards the island that previously had a lighthouse on it.

Once we get there, he lets go of me and then reaches into his pocket, as if making sure he hasn't left something behind. After a minute, his shoulder slump in relief and he turns to look at me with a pleased look on his face.

"Hey Chelsea..." he says, suddenly sounding nervous, "What do you think…what do you think about Julia and Elliot's getting engaged?"

I wonder where he's going with this. It can't be what I think it is…

"I think it's nice. It's sweet of him, and I'm really looking forward to when he actually gives her a blue feather." I say, nodding as if to affirm my statement.

"Oh, is that so…" he says, looking out into the distance as if I'm the one who brought up the whole subject.

Before I can ask him about what's bothering him, he coughs lightly and rubs his hair. It's a sign that he's nervous about something, and having left his hat behind he can't grab it and use it to hide his antsy expression.

"Hey, Vaughn, are you okay?" I ask, and he rubs the back of his head furiously before coughing and turning to me.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Um, Chelsea…"

Before I can question him further he turns sharply to face me and pulls a blue feather out of his pocket.

xxxxxxXXXXXxxxxXXXXxxxxXXXXXXxxxxXXXXXxxxxx

I know that I've got to be red, but right now Vaughn's probably blushing even more furiously than I am. I can't seem to make a sound, as this entire turn of events is startling.

"I'm not really nice…and I can be rude, and blunt, and sometimes I come off as mean. But you changed that…you changed me. I can't tell you how much you mean to me…all I can tell you is that I love you."

He looks me straight in the eye as he says this, although it's clear that he's beyond embarrassed at confessing this; his face is even more red than mine right now, I'm sure of it.

"Hey, Chelsea!" he says urgently, the blush leaving his cheeks for a moment and a worried look crossing his face. He reaches a hand out to my cheek, and I realize that there are a few tears trickling down my cheeks.

Before he can worry anymore, I throw myself on him and tackle him to the ground.

"I….love you too." I mumble, and I smile as I feel his arms come around me and tighten.

xxxxxXXXXXxxxxXXXXXxxxxxXXXXXxxxxxxXXXXxxxxxxx

It's only been about two weeks, but somehow my mom and the rest of the girls on the island have managed to pull everything together for a wedding quickly.

As soon as my mom came to the island, she immediately became close friends with the other older women on the island, and they spent the entire two weeks planning and plotting together.

I swear, she enjoyed planning the wedding far more than she should have.

"Hey Chelsea! You're spacing out again," Julia's voice slides in my ear, and I open my eyes and find myself looking at my reflection in the mirror.

My mom herself braided the blue flowers into my hair. The dress itself is simple, but has just a touch of elegance; Mark gave it to me as a sort of wedding gift.

Apparently he, Sabrina and Julia made it together. They claimed it was the least they could do, since Will and Pierre collaborated together to make the cake.

I smile as Julia wraps an arm around my shoulders, and I lean into her as she squeezes me for a hug.

"Should we go take our places then?" Julia says low, and I nod. She helps me stand up, and as I walk out of the small room towards the doors that open to the main part of the church where everyone is waiting and the organ's sounds are filling the room.

My mom and the other girls all wait there, chattering at each other and exclaiming how beautiful the dresses are. When they see me, they all give quiet squeals and my mom wipes at her eyes before handing me my bouquet.

"It's time," she says, giving me a kiss on the forehead as my dad comes in to take my arm.


	61. Chapter 61

_~Vaughn~_

I've never seen her more beautiful than I have now.

I don't remember much of what happened up until now, since I was so occupied with worrying about whether or not I looked stupid. Obviously, I missed her mom and all the bridesmaids filing in, but there's no way I could miss Chelsea, not with the way she looks right now.

She's got just a faint blush of pink on her cheeks, and it's obvious that she's blushing because of how many people are here. They're all staring at her, and Mark's sobbing from his seat and scrubbing furiously at his eyes.

When she meets my gaze though, the blush deepens a little more and she smiles. As she reaches me, I hold my hand out and receive a nod from Cliff as she transfers her hand into mine.

Together, we approach Nathan and he beams at everyone before straightening up and proceeding with the ceremony.

xxxxxxxXXXxxxxXXXXXxxxXXXXXXxxxxXXXXxxxxx

While Nathan talks on and on about something, Chelsea giggles low and whispers to me, "You don't look very pleased about how fast this happened. Did you want the marriage to be a little later?"

I close my eyes as if I'm not happy, but say, "Well, I would've liked to have some say in my own wedding, but since I get to see you looking this beautiful I guess I don't mind."

She blushes at this and her hand in mine tightens a little.

"You know," she says, "I was thinking of adding another cow to my farm, and maybe getting a puppy."

"No need. Mirabelle gave me a cow the other day as a wedding present, and said I can bring it over to the farm whenever."

"Really!?"

"Really. Now hush, Nathan's starting on the vows."

We get smoothly past the vows and the I do's, and when it comes to slip on the rings I realize I've never been more sure about anything in my life as I have been now.

Suddenly Nathan's telling me, "You may now kiss the bride."

I can tell everyone's been waiting for this moment nearly as much as I have, but I don't care about all their stares as I wrap my arm around Chelsea's waist and bring her close, tilting her face up to meet mine.

The kiss is soft, and simple, and as we pull away to everyone's cheers I'm rewarded with her pleased blush.

xxxxXXXXXxxxxXXXXXXXxxxxxxXXXXXXxxxxxx

She runs away from me, her dress flying out behind her as the sun sets on her farm.

"Catch me if you can," she teases me, and I grin before launching forward and shedding my suit jacket in the process.

I reach her easily, and together we fall to the ground in a tangle of white and black, the blue flowers from her hair flying around us.

"Don't think I'll let you go that easily," I tell her, and she hugs me tight and kisses me lightly on the nose.

I guess in the end, I found the one thing I didn't believe in; pure love.

I found it. I found her.

And I'm never letting go of her, or this feeling.

**_The End_**

* * *

**And so ends Glass Hearts :(**

Well, I do hope you enjoyed it, and be sure to check out my upcoming stories! Leave any last thoughts you like, and thank everyone who's read this! You guys are my support, and I never would have finished anything without you! 


	62. PLEASE READ!

**Okay, so I've had quite a few requests for and epilogue (lol ALL the PMs) so I'm thinking about putting in one more chapter; just the epilogue that is. **

**Wait a few days or so and then check back one last time on this story for it! Look forward to it! :D**

**In the meantime, I'm going to put up my Mineral Town story (ERMAHGERD CAN'T THINK OF A TITLE) and keep adding to my Soul Eater story. It's kind of a weird one, my Soul Eater story, but please read it if you're interested and comment on it so I know how I'm doing XD It's all drabbles so it's kind of short and confusing...yeah...**

**Okay, I'll stop ranting now XD Seriously, I tend to do that a lot, so I ought to start getting to the point more often XD **

**Anyways, check back on Glass Hearts one last time and I'll put it up as soon as I can! Until then :) **


	63. Epilogue

_**Epilogue** _

_~Lillian~_

"When's Dad coming home?" I pouted, poking at the porridge I'd been given for breakfast. It may have been dad's favorite food, but since he wasn't here I couldn't understand why Mom was still dishing it out.

"Finish your food, Lillian." My mom called from the kitchen while things clattered around, a sure sign she'd probably dropped something.

While I poked at my food, my older brother came in and shuffled across the room to sit down at the table across from me, rubbing his blue eyes sleepily. I stifled a laugh at his extremely messy silver-white hair, and in return he stuck his tongue out at me before our mom came in and set down a bowl of food in front of him.

"Stop complaining, and don't play with your food! Your father will be home sometime today, so don't worry about it!" she scolded, gathering up misplaced strands of her brown hair into a ponytail before coming around the table to do the same to my hair.

As she combed through my hair with her fingers and began a braid, my brother made a face of disgust and looked down at his bowl.

"Is porridge the only thing you know how to cook properly Mom?" he asked, and at that Mom made a face before reaching across the table and smacking him lightly on the head.

"Mind your manners, Levi. You two can go out and play after you finish your breakfast, alright?"

My brother grumbled into his porridge as he too moved it around with his spoon, but before our mom could chastise him any further I turned around and asked, "Are Grandma Georgia and Grandpa Kana coming with Dad too?"

Mom smiled and finished off my braid, leaning down to give me a hug.

"Yes, and so you two better behave while they're here or he won't be happy."

Levi took a bite of his food, winced, and then pointed out, "Why do we have to call them Grandma and Grandpa anyways if they're only Dad's uncle and aunt? Shouldn't we just call them uncle and aunt too?"

Mom walked around the table and gave my brother another smack, which made me giggle as she scolded him.

"They're like parents to him, even if they aren't really blood-related!"

I piped up, interrupting her as I said, "Yeah, and they're nice! Even though I'm glad you named me after Dad's real mom and not Grandma Georgia. I think Lillian is a much prettier name."

At this Mom smiled at me before ruffling my brother's hair absentmindedly while she said, "Well, you look very much like her. I suppose it's because you've got your father's eyes but have my brown hair…your grandmother had the exact same coloring you know."

I'm about to ask more questions in the hopes that I won't have to finish my breakfast if I distract her when we hear the front door swing open and my dad's voice comes from the hall.

"Chelsea? Have you been cooking again?"

As he steps in the room he flashes Mom a smile as she makes a fist and shakes it at him.

"I made it for you, so don't complain!" she tells him, but Dad just laughs as he walks over to her and grabs her by the waist, bringing her in for a kiss.

My brother and I exchanged disgusted looks, but then Dad lets go of Mom and turns to me with a gentle grin on his face.

"What, no welcome back hug?" he pouts, and I push back my chair at the same time my brother does as we both run over to our dad.

I reach him first and he grabs me and throws me up in the air, the two of us laughing as Mom watches us with a smile. After Dad sets me down, he claps his hand on Levi's shoulder while my brother hugs him back, the look on his face a mix of reluctance and happiness.

Our greetings done, Mom notices something and then says, "Where are Georgia and Kana? I thought you were bringing them back with you, Vaughn?"

Dad laughs as he takes his hat off and puts it on her head, letting his hand drift down to her waist again so that he can hold her close while he walks her towards her chair at the table.

"The old relics say they can travel on their own, and they sent me ahead. They'll be here in the afternoon, that's all."

"Vaughn, you ought to have traveled with them anyways!"

"No, they knew that I was anxious to get back to you and the kids, so they let me go ahead. What, don't I get a welcome back from you too?"

Levi and I giggle as our dad winks at our mom and brings a hand up to her face to slowly caress her cheek. Mom blushes before hissing, "Vaughn! Stop that!"

While she struggles in Dad's arms, he turns his head to wink at us over his shoulder before saying, "You two can go outside and play now. Your Mom and I have some business to finish, so we'll take care of the chores today."

I giggle again and walk over to take Levi's hand, the two of us running to the front hall to put on our shoes while we hear Mom's protesting in the background.

"A-ah! Vaughn!"

"Oh come on Chelsea, I missed you…"

"You were only gone for one night, and the kids should do the chores or they'll never learn responsibility-"

"They can be responsible later."

"But-"

Her voice cuts off suddenly as their bedroom door slams, and Levi and I exchange grins as we walk outside.

We're walking down the path towards town together when we see Aunt Julia's kid, Marie running up the street to greet us. Levi blushes a little and I snicker to which he whispers, "Don't say anything."

"Don't worry, I won't," I tell him back, and when she reaches us Marie grabs our hands and says, "Come on! Your Uncle Mark and Mr. Denny said they're going to teach us how to fish today!"

Together we run off laughing as a new day starts on our island.

* * *

**Okay. NOW this story is finally over XD Well, I hope everything is understandable...**

**Like, Lillian looks just like her grandmother which could totally happen what with Chelsea's brown hair/Vaughn's eyes, so he's being all sentimental about it was like "WE MUST NAME HER AFTER MY MUM" and Chelsea is like, "Well I got to name the boy, so this one's all yours."**

**And then Chelsea turns into sort of a nagging mom because her son Levi takes after her in being extremely adventurous and kind of cynical like his dad, and then Lillian is totally sweet but then she's still kind of a kid XD I envision her being about ten here, and Levi's like twelve. **

**Anyways. Anyways, anyways, anyways. Moving on from this story. XD **

**I'm debating doing a story about a reunion of the two main characters for the movie Spirited Away (if you haven't seen it, I recommend it because it's beautiful, as are all Studio Ghibli movies). However, if I do that, I'll probably put that up instead of something based off the game for More Friends of Mineral Town. **

**And I'm keeping up with my Soul Eater story since that's all drabbles so it's easier than a full fledged plot inducing story, per say. **

**So, please leave a review or PM me telling me whether you'd like another HM story or whether you'd like my rendition of Spirited Away reunion! **

**Once again, thanks for reading (and putting up with this extremely long author's note) and don't forget to leave your thoughts! Thanks all for reading and keeping up with it :)**


End file.
